BBC director general Tim Davie resigns amid fallout over Trump documentary

[Broadcasting House, BBC headquarters in London, UK]
VV Shots/iStock Editorial via Getty Images

BBC Director General Tim Davie resigned Sunday following controversy over a Panorama documentary accused of misleadingly editing a speech by President Trump related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

His departure came days after The Daily Telegraph revealed details from a leaked internal memo claiming the program had arranged Trump’s remarks in a way that made him appear to endorse the attack.

Davie said that while his decision was not solely tied to the controversy, the debate surrounding BBC News had clearly influenced it. He acknowledged the broadcaster’s mistakes and said he must “take ultimate responsibility.”

BBC News chief Deborah Turness also stepped down, saying the uproar over the program had begun to harm “an institution that I love.” She admitted errors were made but rejected claims of systemic political bias.

The White House had accused the BBC of being “purposefully dishonest” in its coverage of the Capitol events, intensifying scrutiny on the broadcaster’s leadership. The leaked memo, written by Michael Prescott, a former adviser to the BBC’s editorial standards committee, triggered the internal crisis. The documentary in question, “Trump: A Second Chance?,” aired last year.

TRUMP'S BATTLES WITH MEDIA

The leadership shakeups at the BBC come on the heels of several recent legal and public-relations wins for President Trump in his ongoing battles with major media and tech companies.

Earlier this year, Paramount Global agreed in principle to pay $16 million to resolve Trump’s lawsuit over a contentious "60 Minutes" interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. The settlement talks coincided with a wave of departures inside CBS News, including Chief Executive Wendy McMahon, who told employees in May that she was stepping down.

In a separate case, Disney last December quietly settled a defamation suit involving ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos. Under the deal, the company pledged to contribute $15 million to Trump’s presidential foundation or museum and cover $1 million in legal expenses.

Trump also secured settlements from two major social-media platforms. Meta paid $25 million in January to end a lawsuit over its decision to suspend his accounts after the January 6 Capitol riot, while X (formerly Twitter) reached a similar agreement the following month for about $10 million.

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