Tim Davie resigns live updates: Trump slams ‘dishonest’ BBC after director general and news CEO Deborah Turness quit

Philippa Childs, chief executive of Bectu, which represents workers in broadcasting and digital media, said: “Tim Davie has guided the BBC through some difficult times and I thank him for the work he has done to defend the company and support staff at a time of shrinking budgets, particularly his work on the BBC’s Culture Review.

“This is a critical moment for the BBC as it enters the contract renewal process and it is crucial that this role is filled quickly with someone who can defend the BBC’s mission, values ​​and political independence, similar to public service broadcasting.

“The BBC is a pillar of our cultural ecosystem; the new chief executive will not only lead the company and its many talented staff, but will also have a major role in driving forward the wider creative industries that benefit from a strong and bold BBC.”

lEd Davey criticized the White House for taking responsibility for Tim Davie’s resignation.

“I had my disagreements with the BBC during the Tim Davie era, but he was a decent man who did a tough job,” Mr Davey said in response to a post by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, which referred to President Trump’s recent criticism of the broadcaster.

“It should worry us all to see Trump’s White House take credit for his downfall and attack the BBC,” he added.

The White House press secretary has mocked the BBC following Tim Davie’s resignation as director general.

Mr Davie resigned along with News chief executive Deborah Turness on Sunday evening, following criticism that the BBC Panorama documentary misled viewers by editing out a speech by US president Donald Trump.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt released screenshots of two news articles, one showing Trump criticizing the BBC, titled “shot,” and the other, about Tim Davie’s resignation, titled “chasing.”

The BBC was expected to apologize on Monday over concerns about impartiality, including how US President Donald Trump’s speech to an episode of Panorama was edited.

Culture secretary Lisa Nandy thanked Tim Davie “for his many years of service to public broadcasting”.

In a statement about X, he said he had led the BBC “through a period of significant change and helped the organization overcome the challenges it has faced in recent years”.

He adds: “Now more than ever, the need for trusted news and high-quality programming is crucial to our democratic and cultural life and our place in the world.

“As a government, we will support the Board as it manages this transition and ensure the Charter Review is the catalyst that helps the BBC adapt to this new era and secure its role at the heart of national life for decades to come.”

Nigel Farage has said the resignations of Tim Davie and Deborah Turness should be the “start of wholesale change”.

The Reform UK leader said: “The departure of Davie and Turness must be the start of wholesale change.

“The government needs to come in and appoint someone with a track record of turning companies and their cultures around. Preferably this would be someone from the private sector who runs a forward-looking business and understands public relations.”

“This is the BBC’s last chance. If they don’t get this right, there will be a lot of people refusing to pay the license fee.”

BBC chief Samir Shah has paid tribute to Tim Davie as he reflects on a “sad day” for the broadcaster.[paidtributetoTimDavieasherereflectsona“sadday”forthebroadcaster[paidtributetoTimDavieashereflectsona“sadday”forthebroadcaster

“Tim has been an outstanding managing director over the last five years,” Mr Shah said. “He has moved the BBC forward with determination, determination and foresight.

“He has had the full support of me and the board from the beginning. However, I understand the ongoing pressure on him personally and professionally that has led him to make this decision today. The entire board respects the decision and the reasons for it.”

“Tim has devoted 20 years of his life to the BBC. He is a loyal and inspiring leader and has an absolute belief in the BBC and public service broadcasting. He has achieved great things. Most importantly, during his tenure, the transformation of the BBC to meet the challenges of a world of unprecedented change and competition is well underway.

“Personally, I will miss his resilience, his sense of humor and his stamina and I will miss working with him. I wish him and his family the best for the future.”

The chief executive will be appointed by the BBC Board and will be chaired by chairman Samir Shah, who is one of 10 non-executive members and four executive members, including the chief executive.

Four of the non-executive members are appointed as members in each of the UK countries.

The process will be managed by the BBC Board’s nomination committee and will be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the BBC Charter drawn up by the government.

Mr Davie’s successor will be the BBC’s 18th director general in its 103 years of existence.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has warned that Donald Trump must not be allowed to “destroy” the BBC.

In response to Trump’s description of BBC journalists as “very dishonest people” following Mr Davie’s resignation, Sir Ed wrote in his post about X: “It’s easy to see why Trump wants to destroy the world’s number one news source. We can’t let him.”

“The BBC belongs to all of us here in the UK,” Sir Ed continued.

“The Prime Minister and leaders from across the political spectrum must unite in telling Trump to get his hands off this.”

Former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger writes in The Independent:

The latest uproar apparently broke out over a “dossier” compiled by Michael Prescott, a former journalist who worked for Rupert Murdoch with a ringside seat at the BBC for three years. questioned an edit Panorama The show about Donald Trump, which omitted separate quotes to make it seem like Trump said he would march on the Capitol and “fight like hell” with his supporters.

Prescott also has concerns about what he sees as an anti-Israel bias within the company, as well as the company’s coverage of certain transgender issues.

Two of Prescott’s complaints seem particularly suspicious. The first of these is Panorama the regulation was “completely misleading”. Prescott argues that Trump’s failure to publicly encourage his supporters to fight at the Capitol is one of the reasons he was not prosecuted.

But a Congressional committee, which examined the day’s events in detail, recommended impeachment on the grounds that Trump had indeed incited the attack on Congress; This decision was supported by the only federal district judge who heard the case. The Senate voted 57-43 to impeach the former president, with seven Republicans supporting the motion. So, even though the way the film was constructed was wrong, it’s not clear that it was as “misleading” as Prescott claimed.

Secondly, Prescott seems to believe that an “equally aggressive” look should be put towards Kamala Harris. He found it “shocking and alarming” that Trump’s deviant behavior should be specifically examined. But this brings to mind a strange notion of editorial equivalence. News vice president Jonathan Munro was absolutely right to dismiss Prescott’s idea of ​​”neutrality.”

Similarly, his criticisms of the BBC’s coverage of Israel were reasonable and detailed. reviews This shows that the BBC, contrary to Prescott’s own belief, is actually biased in favor of Israel. But such analyzes tend to sink without a trace. Is this itself a form of prejudice?

The BBC is “ineffective” at being independent from the government, according to 38 per cent of viewers.

The company surveyed 872,701 people in its Our BBC, Our Future survey from March. Some 91 per cent of those surveyed said it was important for the BBC to be “independent of the government of the day”.

A total of 43 percent of viewers surveyed said the media outlet was “effective” in doing so.