Why did the BBC director resign and what happened to the editing of the documentary about Trump?

He previously served as CEO of ITN and president of NBC News.

Their resignations came after controversy sparked by a Panorama documentary titled “Trump: A Second Chance?” It was broadcast one week before the US presidential election.

“The controversy surrounding the Panorama program about President Trump continues and has reached a point where it is damaging to the BBC, which I deeply value,” Turness said in a statement.

“As chief executive of BBC News and Current Affairs, that responsibility rests with me and last night I took the decision to tender my resignation to the director-general,” she continued.

He added: “While there have been mistakes, I want to be absolutely clear that recent claims about systemic bias at BBC News are false.”

Mr Davie did not mention the Panorama documentary in his statement, but noted that “the current debate over BBC News naturally influenced my decision, although not the only reason”.

He said: “Overall the BBC has done a good job, but it has made some mistakes and as director-general I must take ultimate responsibility.”

Last week, the Telegraph published an exclusive report claiming to have accessed leaked internal BBC memos.

The document comes from Michael Prescott, a former independent outside advisor to the network’s Editorial Standards Board who resigned in June.

The memo suggested that Panorama’s hour-long documentary had edited portions of President Trump’s speech to make it seem like he was explicitly encouraging the January 2021 Capitol riot.

In a speech in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, President Trump said, “We’re going to march to the Capitol and cheer on our brave senators and representatives.”

However, in the Panorama version, he was seen saying, “We’re going to march to the Capitol…and I’ll be there with you. And we’ll fight. We’ll fight as hard as we can.”

The two sections of the edited speech were more than 50 minutes apart.

The comment that he would “fight with all my might” came from the part where President Trump talked about the “corruption” of the U.S. election. He used the word “fight” or “fight” a total of 20 times in his speech.

The Telegraph said the document stated that Panorama’s “distortion of the day’s events” would leave viewers wondering: “Why trust the BBC? Where will it all end?”

When the issue was raised with management, they “refused to acknowledge that a rule violation had occurred,” the memo continues.

The BBC has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks over a number of issues.

The Telegraph also reported that Mr Prescott had expressed concern about the lack of action to address a “systemic problem” of anti-Israel bias in the BBC News Arabic service’s coverage of the Gaza war.

The report also noted that Mr Prescott had raised concerns about the BBC’s coverage of transgender issues.

And on Thursday, the BBC admitted 20 complaints of lack of impartiality relating to the way presenter Martin Croxall altered a script he read live on BBC News Channel earlier this year by referring to “pregnant people”.

Tim Davie faced a number of scandals and crises during his five years at the helm of the BBC, including his dispute with Gary Lineker, the Bob Villain incident at Glastonbury, the documentary Gaza: How to Survive in a War Zone, and the transgressions of several high-profile presenters.

Some media outlets nicknamed Davey “Tim Teflon” because nothing seemed to affect him.

He also tried to get over the recent controversy, which has gained momentum and the BBC was expected to issue an apology for the Panorama documentary tomorrow.

This comes at a sensitive time for the public broadcaster, with the government planning to review the broadcaster’s Royal Charter, which essentially gives it the right to exist, before its current mandate expires in 2027.

“You may be asking, why now, why at this time?” Davey said in a statement.

He claimed to be a keen BBC supporter who cared deeply about the BBC and wanted to see it succeed.

“That’s why I want to create the best conditions and the ideal space for the new Director-General to take up his post and actively contribute to the development of the next Royal Charter. I hope that as we move forward, a sensible, calm and rational public dialogue can be established about the future of the BBC.”

He added: “This moment will enable our new CEO to help define our next charter. We believe we are in a strong position to drive growth.”

The Director General is appointed by the BBC Council and is responsible for ensuring the achievement of the company’s mission and public objectives.

The BBC Council is chaired by Sameer Shah, one of 10 non-executive members in addition to the four executive members, including the director general.

When Mr Davie was appointed in 2020, the selection process for his successor was led by the BBC Council’s Appointments Committee.

The appointment of the Director-General is made in accordance with the provisions of the BBC Charter. Davie’s successor will be the 18th CEO in the company’s 103-year history.

Among the names being considered is Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s former content director who was responsible for all programs except news.

Other candidates include Jay Hunt, one of the most experienced executives in British television, and James Harding, who was head of news at the BBC from 2013 to 2018 and has extensive experience managing complex journalistic issues.

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