The BBC has been plunged into crisis after two of its top executives, director-general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness, resigned following revelations the broadcaster’s flagship program Panorama aired a misleading edit of a Donald Trump speech.
An internal dossier, presented earlier this year by former editorial standards adviser Mark Prescott, accused Panorama of splicing together sections of Trump’s January 6, 2021 address in a way that suggested he encouraged supporters to storm the US Capitol – a serious breach of editorial integrity.
You can watch a side-by-side comparison of the speech Panorama aired compared to the on Trump actually gace below:
In his letter to staff, Davie said stepping down after five years was “entirely my decision,” but acknowledged the gravity of recent mistakes.
“Overall, the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as director-general I have to take ultimate responsibility,” he said, adding that he would work with the board “to allow for an orderly transition to a successor over the coming months.”
Turness said the controversy had escalated to a point where it was “causing damage to the BBC – an institution that I love.”
“As the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, the buck stops with me,” she said.
“While mistakes have been made, I want to be absolutely clear recent allegations that BBC News is institutionally biased are wrong.”
Broader claims and political fallout
The dossier went beyond the Trump incident, alleging bias in the BBC’s coverage of the Israel–Gaza conflict and claims that certain editorial teams had censored stories that contradicted a “pro-trans” narrative.
The revelations triggered backlash across the UK, US and Israel, with mounting pressure on the BBC board to take action.
In Washington, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted screenshots of the resignations on X, linking the developments to Trump’s ongoing battle with what he calls “fake news.”
Shot: Chaser: pic.twitter.com/n0U08PnUJb
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) November 9, 2025
With both Davie and Turness stepping aside, the BBC faces a bruising test of trust – and a critical period of rebuilding confidence in its global reputation for impartial journalism.