Why has Tim Davie resigned and what was the Trump documentary edit?
PA MediaBBC director general Tim Davie and news chief Deborah Turness resigned.
The BBC has come under fire for a Panorama documentary accused of misleadingly editing a speech by Donald Trump to make it appear he was urging people to attack the US Capitol.
In e-mails sent to staff, both Davie and Turness said: mistakes had been made.
Who are Tim Davie and Deborah Turness?
Tim Davie He was appointed director general of the BBC in September 2020. He was responsible for overseeing the company’s services and was the editorial, operational and creative lead.
It wasn’t a new name for the BBC; He was managing director of BBC Studios for seven years before becoming director general.
Before joining the BBC, Davie worked for organizations including Procter and Gamble and PepsiCo.
Deborah Turnes He was chief executive of BBC News since 2022, heading BBC News and current affairs programs
In his role, he was responsible for a team of approximately 6,000 people broadcasting in more than 40 languages to almost half a billion people around the world.
He was previously CEO of ITN and chairman of NBC News from 2013.
Why did they resign?
Their departure follows last year’s publication Trump: Second Chances? It came after the controversy surrounding the Panorama documentary called.
Turness said in a statement: “The ongoing debate around Panorama regarding President Trump has reached a stage where it is damaging to the BBC, an institution I love.
“As CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, the responsibility falls on me and last night I decided to offer my resignation to the director general.”
He added: “Although mistakes have been made, I would like to make clear that recent allegations that BBC News is institutionally biased are false.”
Although Davie did not mention the Panorama documentary in his statement, he said: “The current debate around BBC News understandably contributed to my decision, although it was not the sole reason.
“Overall the BBC is performing well but some mistakes have been made and as chief executive I must take ultimate responsibility.”
What were the allegations about the Trump documentary?
In the Daily Telegraph last week published a special reportHe said he had seen a leaked internal BBC memo.
The memo came from Michael Prescott, a former independent external adviser to the broadcaster’s broadcast standards committee. He left that role in June.
The memo suggested that parts of Trump’s speech were edited together in the hour-long Panorama documentary, thus clearly encouraging the Capitol Hill riots in January 2021.
“We will march to the Capitol and cheer on our brave senators, congressmen and women,” Trump said in a speech in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021.
However, in the Panorama montage, he is seen saying: “We’re going to march on the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we’re fighting. We’re fighting like hell.”
There was a difference of more than 50 minutes between the two parts of the speech edited together.
The “fight like hell” comment was taken from the episode where Trump discusses how “corrupt” the US elections are. He used the words “fight” or “fight” a total of 20 times in his speech.
According to the Telegraph, the document states that Panorama’s “distortion of the day’s events” will lead viewers to ask: “Why should the BBC be trusted and where will this all end?”
When the issue was escalated to managers, the memo continued, managers “refused to acknowledge that standards had been violated.”
The BBC has come under scrutiny over a number of other different issues in recent weeks.
The Telegraph also reported that Mr Prescott expressed concern about the BBC Arabic news service’s lack of action to address “systemic problems” of anti-Israel bias in its coverage of the Gaza war.
The report also said Mr Prescott had raised concerns about the BBC’s coverage of trans issues.
And on Thursday, BBC upholds 20 impartiality complaints Presenter Martine Croxall changed a script she read live on the BBC News Channel earlier this year that referred to “pregnant people”.
Why has Davie resigned now?
Tim Davie has navigated many scandals and crises during his five years at the helm of the BBC; Including the Gary Lineker outrage, Bob Vylan at Glastonbury, the Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone documentary and abuses by a number of high-profile presenters.
Some in the media nicknamed Davie “Teflon Tim” because nothing seemed to be going right.
He himself had tried to move on from the latest controversy, but it has gained momentum and the BBC was expected to issue an apology tomorrow for the Panorama documentary.
This came at a sensitive time for the BBC; the government is set to review the company’s Royal Charter (essentially giving it the right to exist) before its current mandate ends in 2027.
Davie said in his statement: “You will ask why now, why this moment?”
He said he was “the BBC through and through” and that he cared deeply about the company and wanted it to succeed.
“So I want to create the best conditions and space for a new Director-General to come in and shape the next Royal Charter in a positive way. I hope that as we move forward, a sensitive, calm and rational public conversation about the BBC’s next chapter can take place.”
He added: “This timing allows a new Directorate General to help shape the next Charter. I believe we are in a strong position to deliver growth.”
How will the BBC choose Davie’s replacement?
The chief executive is appointed by the BBC Board of Directors, who are responsible for ensuring that the company delivers on its mission and public aims.
The BBC Board is led by chairman Samir Shah, and he is one of 10 non-executive members, as well as one of four executive members, including the chief executive.
When Davie was appointed in 2020, the process of selecting who would take the role was led by the BBC Board’s nominations 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 director general in the BBC’s 103-year history.
Names rumored as potential candidates in the competition include the BBC’s recently departed chief content officer Charlotte Moore, who is responsible for all programs except news and has overseen popular programs such as The Traitors, The Wheel and Happy Valley.
Others include Jay Hunt, one of British television’s most experienced executives, and James Harding, who was the BBC’s head of news from 2013 to 2018 and has experience of tackling tough journalistic issues.
