Particle.news
Download on the App Store

BBC Board Member Shumeet Banerji Resigns, Citing Governance Failures

Parliament will question the board next week over governance and impartiality following a Panorama edit that led to leadership turmoil and a legal threat from President Trump.

Overview

  • Shumeet Banerji notified the BBC on Friday that he was stepping down and said he was not consulted on events leading to the exits of Tim Davie and Deborah Turness.
  • The BBC confirmed his term was already due to end in December and said the search for a replacement is underway.
  • Banerji’s departure follows the Panorama documentary’s incorrect edit of President Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021 remarks, for which the BBC apologised and withdrew from any future rebroadcast, posting a retraction online.
  • President Trump has threatened to sue for $1–$5 billion, while the BBC maintains there is no legal basis for a defamation claim.
  • Chair Samir Shah and board members Sir Robbie Gibb and Caroline Thomson are scheduled to appear before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, with questions expected on governance and impartiality raised by a leaked memo.