The BBC is expected to apologise on Monday for editing a speech that suggested Donald Trump had directly instigated an attack on the U.S. Capitol, resulting in the dramatic resignations of the broadcaster’s top brass.
Director General Tim Davie and the BBC News CEO Deborah Turness stepped down on Sunday after accusations that a documentary by its flagship Panorama programme had used a misleading edit of Trump’s speech.
While Trump celebrated the resignations, accusing the BBC’s journalists of being “corrupt” and “dishonest”, Turness insisted in her leaving note that “allegations that BBC News is institutionally biased are wrong”.
The shake-up also comes as the UK government is set to begin reviewing the BBC’s Royal Charter, which outlines the corporation’s governance and public mission.
The current charter expires in 2027, and Davie hopes a new chief will “positively shape” its renewal, ensuring sufficient funding for the BBC’s future.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, who previously called the allegations of bias “incredibly serious”, said a review of the charter by the UK government will help the BBC “adapt to this new era”.
While some critics see the resignations as a timely reckoning for the once-beloved state institution, others have suggested they are a result of duress from right-wing detractors and the United States.
Former conservative prime minister Boris Johnson threatened to stop paying his BBC licence fee, while current Tory party leader Kemi Badenoch welcomed the resignations following a “catalogue of serious failures”.
But Liberal Democrats party leader Ed Davey urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to tell Trump to “keep his hands off” the BBC.
“It’s easy to see why Trump wants to destroy the world’s number one news source,” said Davey. “We can’t let him”.
Davie fell after a Daily Telegraph report highlighted impartiality concerns in a memo by former BBC adviser Michael Prescott. The controversy centres on edited clips of Trump’s January 6, 2021, speech that misleadingly suggested he urged supporters to storm the Capitol, while the unaltered footage shows him merely cheering on lawmakers.
AFP
