Tim Davie, director-general of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), announced his resignation on Sunday amid controversy over the editing of a documentary about U.S. President Donald Trump.
Davie and the broadcaster’s director of news, Deborah Turness, stepped down after the BBC’s flagship documentary programme Panorama was accused of misleadingly editing a speech by Trump, the broadcaster said.
The Telegraph published a leaked internal memo suggesting that Panorama had spliced together two separate parts of Trump’s speech to make it appear as if he was directly encouraging the January 2021 Capitol Hill riots.
Reacting to the leaked memo, the Trump White House has accused the BBC of “purposeful dishonesty,” and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the news outlet “100% fake news” and a “leftist propaganda machine.”
Davie said, “Some mistakes were made, and as Director-General I must take ultimate responsibility.” In a separate statement, Turness said “the responsibility is mine” and described her decision to resign as “a difficult one.” The BBC’s board of directors said it respected their decision.
The leaked memo originated from Michael Prescott, a former independent adviser to the broadcaster’s editorial standards committee, who left his post in June.
Davie departs the BBC after five years in the role.
