Outgoing BBC director general Tim Davie, who resigned on Sunday amid a scandal over documentary program “Panorama’s” editing of Donald Trump‘s Jan. 6 speech, addressed his staff at the broadcaster’s headquarters on Tuesday.
According to BBC News, Davie acknowledged during a 40-minute town hall that “we did make a mistake” in the editing of Trump’s speech, but told staff: “I think we’ve got to fight for our journalism.”
He gave three reasons for his departure, including the scandal over the “Panorama” documentary on Trump as well as the BBC’s upcoming charter renewal in 2027 and the “relentless” nature of the role. He insisted that the BBC will “survive” his departure and said several times that he is “fiercely proud of this organization.”
As he arrived at the BBC offices in London on Tuesday morning, Davie told journalists outside (via BBC News): “I’m here to lead and support the BBC. I’m very, very proud of our journalists in this building. I want to thank every one of them. They’re doing a wonderful job.”
Davie walked away as the journalists questioned him about Trump’s recent legal threat towards the BBC. On Monday, Trump sent a letter to the broadcaster threatening to sue for $1 billion unless the episode of “Panorama” was retracted, he received a formal apology and payment to “appropriately compensate President Trump for the harm caused.”
Controversy erupted over the weekend after a leaked memo from former BBC Editorial Guidelines and Standards committee adviser Michael Prescott was published by The Telegraph suggesting that “Panorama” edited a Trump speech to make it sound like he encouraged the Jan. 6 riots. It resulted in the shocking resignations of both Davie and CEO of news Deborah Turness on Sunday night.
Prescott’s memo said “Panorama” edited Trump’s speech to be: “We’re gonna walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be with you and we fight. We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not gonna have a country anymore.” Prescott wrote that Trump said the part beginning with “and we fight” 54 minutes after “we’re gonna walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be with you.”
On Monday, BBC chair Samir Shah apologized for the edit in a letter to the U.K. culture, media and sport committee and called it an “error of judgement.” Speaking with the BBC’s Katie Razzall following the letter’s publication, Shah said that he has been in contact with Trump’s team and is considering personally apologizing to the president.
The BBC has been flanked by several other controversies this year, including a Gaza documentary that was found to be a “serious breach” of Ofcom’s broadcasting rules and its handling of controversy at Glastonbury Festival when it aired the punk duo Bob Vylan chanting “death to the IDF.”
Davie and Turness’ departure timeline and who exactly will replace them remains unclear.
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