Donald Trump appeared on Truth Social on Sunday afternoon to congratulate BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News Corporation CEO Deborah Turness on their departures. The shocking resignation came just days after the BBC documentary Panorama was accused of doctoring President Trump’s January 6 speech to make it seem like he incited the Capitol riot.
“All the top people at the BBC, including my boss Tim Davie, are resigning/fired because they were discovered to have ‘fabricated’ my very good (and perfect!) speech on January 6th,” Trump wrote. “Thank you to the Telegraph for exposing these corrupt ‘journalists.’” They are very dishonest people who tried to tip the scales in the presidential election. Above all, they are of foreign origin and are considered by many to be our number one ally. What a terrible thing for democracy! ”
As President Trump pointed out, the Telegraph threw the network into turmoil after it published details of a 19-page document on BBC bias by a former independent external adviser to the BBC Standards Board. The report claimed that Panorama stitched together footage that made President Trump “‘say’ things he did not actually say.” Part of the Panorama audio shows President Trump marching with his supporters to the Capitol, declaring that he would “fight like hell” and actually asking them to “peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”
In his resignation letter to BBC staff, Mr Davie wrote: “Like any public organization, the BBC is not perfect and must always be open, transparent and accountable. The current debate over BBC News naturally contributed to my decision, although it was not the only reason. Overall the BBC is doing well, but there have been some mistakes and as director-general I will have to take ultimate responsibility.”
“I have made the difficult decision that it is no longer my role to lead you in the direction of the common vision we all share: the pursuit of truth without an agenda,” Turness said in a statement.
