The BBC’s boss and its head of news quit on Sunday following accusations of bias at the British broadcaster, including in the way it edited a speech by US President Donald Trump.
The BBC had been under mounting pressure after an internal report by a former standards adviser was leaked to the Daily Telegraph newspaper which cited failings in its coverage of the war between Israel and Hamas, transgender issues and a speech made by Trump.
Trump welcomed the departures, criticising the two as “very dishonest people” after the BBC’s flagship Panorama show edited two parts of one of his speeches together so he appeared to be encouraging the Capitol Hill riot of January 2021.
Tim Davie, who has led the British Broadcasting Corporation since 2020, defended the organisation, saying its journalism was seen as the gold standard around the world. But he said mistakes had been made and he had to take ultimate responsibility.
Deborah Turness, the CEO of BBC News, also resigned. In an email to staff she said that the controversy about the Trump documentary “has reached a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC – an institution that I love. As the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, the buck stops with me”.