Trump panorama controversy rocks BBC: Meet the top executives who resigned
The BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News chief Deborah Turness resigned on Sunday over Panorama documentary controversy.
In a major shake-up at the British Broadcasting Corporation, the BBC's director general and news chief announced their resignation on Sunday, following a controversy over the editing of a speech by US President Donald Trump in a documentary.
Tim Davie and the broadcaster's head of news, Deborah Turness, resigned after accusations that a documentary by its flagship Panorama programme had edited a speech made by President Donald Trump on January 6 2021.
Davie, who has led the BBC for several years, announced his departure on Sunday, stating it was entirely his decision.
"Like all public organisations, the BBC is not perfect, and we must always be open, transparent and accountable," Davie said in a statement posted on the BBC website.
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"While not being the only reason, the current debate around BBC News has understandably contributed to my decision. I have to take ultimate responsibility," he added.
The resignations come amid the Panorama documentary allegations, and the controversy only escalated after an internal report by a former standards adviser was leaked to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, which cited failings in its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, trans issues and a speech made by Trump.
Who is Tim Davie?
The 17th director-general of the BBC, Tim Davie, resigned after 20 years at the corporation. He succeeded Lord Tony Hall as director-general in September 2020, during a turbulent time for the broadcaster, following a row about the licence fee and issues around gender pay.
Davie had faced several crises since taking the job. In 2023, the BBC was forced to axe much of its sports coverage on a Saturday as presenters refused to work in solidarity with 'Match Of The Day' host Gary Lineker, who faced a brief suspension.
Upon Lineker's return, Davie announced there would be an independent review into the BBC's social media guidelines and apologised for a "difficult period for staff, contributors, presenters, and most importantly, our audiences."
Before joining the BBC, Davie worked in the private sector, serving as Vice President for Marketing and Franchise for drinks giant PepsiCo Europe.
His first role at the BBC was director of its marketing, communications and audiences division.
Who is Deborah Turness?
Deborah Turness, the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, also resigned on Sunday amid the ongoing controversy around the Panorama documentary. According to the BBC, she took the job in September 2022.
She was previously CEO of ITN, where she led the organisation's post-Covid strategy for growth in its three major business areas - newsrooms, long-form production and commercial/branded content.
Before this, Deborah became the first president of NBC News International, the global arm of American news network NBC News, in 2017, where she was responsible for overseeing its operations, including editorial, production, and commercial aspects.
She joined NBC News in 2013, becoming the first woman in US history to lead a network news division as President, overseeing a team of over 3,000 journalists and technicians.
About the Trump speech controversy, Turness said the issue "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."
"In public life, leaders need to be fully accountable, and that is why I am stepping down," she said in a note to staff. "While mistakes have been made, I want to be absolutely clear that recent allegations that BBC News is institutionally biased are wrong."
