BBC chief quits over Trump speech scandal and bias allegations

BBC Director-General Tim Davie has resigned after outrage over an edited broadcast of a 2021 Donald Trump speech that critics say distorted the US president’s words about the Capitol riots. Head of news Deborah Turness also stepped down, both citing responsibility for the controversy that has rocked Britain’s public broadcaster.

The Panorama documentary at the centre of the storm stitched together parts of Trump’s January 6 speech, making it seem as if he told supporters to “fight like hell” without including his call for peaceful protest. Davie called his decision to resign “entirely my own,” saying he bore “ultimate responsibility” for editorial failures.

Turness said she was quitting to stop “damage to the BBC — an institution that I love,” adding, “the buck stops with me.” UK Culture Minister Lisa Nandy called the allegations of manipulation “incredibly serious” and accused the BBC of “systemic bias.”

The scandal has reignited long-running accusations of political partiality.

The backlash escalated as Trump’s press secretary blasted the BBC as “100 percent fake news,” and Conservative MPs demanded a review of its Arabic service funding, alleging “pro-Hamas and anti-Israel bias.” Nigel Farage cheered Davie’s departure, warning, “If they don’t get this right, people will stop paying the licence fee.”