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BBC Bosses Quit Over Trump Documentary Edits as Chair Apologizes and Faces MPs

The broadcaster has opened an internal review after Panorama spliced two separate lines from President Trump’s Jan. 6 speech, prompting scrutiny of its impartiality.

Overview

  • Director-general Tim Davie and BBC News chief Deborah Turness resigned on Sunday, saying they bore ultimate responsibility for editorial errors.
  • BBC chair Samir Shah apologized in a letter to Parliament for a “misjudgement” and is set to answer questions from the Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
  • The Panorama episode “Trump: A Second Chance?” aired a week before the 2024 US election and stitched two nonconsecutive lines from Trump’s Jan. 6 remarks, creating the impression of a direct call to violence.
  • The BBC has launched an internal review of Panorama’s editorial and control processes as Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy calls the allegations “extremely serious.”
  • Trump praised the Telegraph’s reporting and his spokeswoman labeled the BBC “100% Fake News,” while Turness said BBC News is not institutionally biased and Prime Minister Keir Starmer voiced support for a strong, independent BBC.