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BBC Director General Tim Davie and News Chief Deborah Turness Resign After Uproar Over Panorama’s Trump Edit

Their exits follow a leaked memo alleging deceptive splicing in a pre‑election documentary, triggering pressure from UK lawmakers and the White House.

Overview

  • Davie said stepping down after five years was his decision and that he must take ultimate responsibility, while Turness acknowledged errors and said the controversy was harming the BBC.
  • The Telegraph published a 19‑page dossier by former BBC standards adviser Michael Prescott alleging the Panorama film stitched together Trump’s Jan. 6 remarks from segments more than 50 minutes apart.
  • Critics say the edit removed calls for supporters to protest peacefully, with the final cut implying a more incendiary message than Trump’s full speech conveyed.
  • The contested segment appeared in Panorama’s “Trump: A Second Chance?”, produced for the BBC by independent company October Films and broadcast a week before the most recent U.S. election.
  • Trump celebrated the departures on Truth Social and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt condemned the BBC, as UK parliamentary committees press the broadcaster for answers and formal responses.