London, Nov 10 (AP) The BBC is currently embroiled in a leadership crisis and faces mounting political pressure following the resignation of its top executive and head of news over the editing of a US President Donald Trump speech.
Director-General Tim Davie and news chief Deborah Turness resigned amidst allegations of bias, a decision welcomed by Trump, who accused the network of attempting to influence a Presidential Election by skewing his speech. BBC Chairman Samir Shah issued an apology on Monday, referring to the broadcaster's actions as an “error of judgment” regarding the edited speech from January 6, 2021, preceding the Capitol riot.
“We acknowledge that the edited version of the speech did convey an impression of advocating for violence,” Shah wrote to lawmakers.
The "Panorama" program had combined three quotes from two different parts of Trump's speech, delivered almost an hour apart, into one sequence where Trump appeared to be urging his supporters to "fight like hell" and march with him. Crucially, a section where Trump called for peaceful demonstration was omitted.
In a message to staff, Davie accepted accountability by stating, “There have been mistakes, and as director-general, I must take ultimate responsibility.” Turness cited the damage to the BBC’s reputation as her reason for resigning, stating, “The buck stops with me.” (AP)
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