BBC Director-General Resigns After Allegations Of Misleadingly Editing Trump Speech
The BBC Director General announced his resignation on Sunday following a row over the editing of a documentary about US President Donald Trump.
Tim Davie and Deborah Turness, the broadcaster’s head of news, have resigned after accusations that a documentary by its flagship Panorama programme had edited a speech by Trump in a misleading way.
“Like all public organisations, the BBC is not perfect, and we must always be open, transparent and accountable,” Davie said in a statement posted on the BBC website.
“While not being the only reason, the current debate around BBC News has understandably contributed to my decision… I have to take ultimate responsibility.”
Adding to the recent controversy follows a Daily Telegraph report this week that said concerns were first raised in the summer in a memo on impartiality by Michael Prescott, a former external adviser to the BBC’s editorial standards committee.
Earlier Sunday, the UK Culture, Media and Sport Minister Lisa Nandy called the allegations “incredibly serious”.