**BBC Director-General Tim Davie Resigns Amid Controversy Over Edited Trump Speech**
The BBC director-general, Tim Davie, resigned on Sunday following criticism over the broadcaster’s editing of a speech by former President Donald Trump, which many said was misleading.
Davie, 58, who has been at the helm of the BBC since September 2020, stepped down after five years leading the corporation. His departure comes amid growing controversy surrounding a BBC Panorama documentary about Trump’s January 6, 2021 speech, delivered shortly before the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Critics argued that the documentary’s edit was misleading because it omitted a key section of Trump’s speech where he urged supporters to protest peacefully.
The speech at the center of the dispute featured Trump saying, “I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.” However, the version aired by the BBC reportedly excluded this line, while retaining the phrase “fight like hell.”
In a letter to staff, Davie stated that his resignation “is entirely my decision.” He acknowledged that “overall the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as director-general I have to take ultimate responsibility.”
Davie added that he is “working through exact timings with the board to allow for an orderly transition to a successor over the coming months.”
The resignation of Davie follows that of Deborah Turness, head of BBC News and Current Affairs, who also stepped down amid the controversy. Turness said the situation “has reached a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC, an institution that I love,” adding, “As the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, the buck stops with me.”
Pressure on the BBC intensified after excerpts from a whistle-blower dossier were published by The Telegraph. The dossier, compiled by Michael Prescott, a communications advisor hired by the BBC to review its editorial standards, criticized various aspects of the broadcaster’s coverage. Specific concerns included the Trump edit, reporting on transgender issues, and alleged anti-Israel bias in the BBC’s Arabic service.
In response to the allegations of bias, Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the BBC as “100% fake news” and a “propaganda machine” in an interview.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Leavitt said: “This purposefully dishonest, selectively edited clip by the BBC is further evidence that they are total, 100% fake news that should no longer be worth the time on the television screens of the great people of the United Kingdom.”
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