BBC chief apologizes for editing Trump’s speech but defends the corporation against allegations of bias BBC

The BBC chief has apologized for an “error of judgement” in the way a Panorama documentary depicted a speech by Donald Trump, after criticism of the edit led to the resignation of two senior executives.

Samir Shah said the BBC had mishandled its internal review of the matter, but defended the corporation against claims it had buried stories or done nothing to address allegations of bias, which he said was “simply not true”.

In a letter to Caroline Dinenage, chair of the Culture and Media Select Committee, Shah wrote that the BBC had received more than 500 complaints since the matter was highlighted in a critical memo written by a former adviser.

He wrote that it was “absolutely clear that the BBC must stand for impartiality” and added: “We accept that the way in which the letter was edited gave the impression of a direct call for violent action.”

Shah’s letter was published on Monday, hours after BBC director-general Tim Davie and its head of news, Deborah Turness, resigned over the scandal that caught Trump’s attention and raised fears of recriminations against BBC journalists in the United States. Trump wrote to the BBC on Monday threatening legal action. A BBC spokesman said: “We will review the letter and respond directly in due course.”

The resignation of two senior BBC figures came after days of criticism from the White House and right-wing commentators in the UK over allegations in a leaked memo published by the Daily Telegraph.

Trump and his press secretary Carolyn Leavitt publicly celebrated the resignations of Diffie and Turness. Torness said she “resigned over the weekend because the responsibility falls on me,” but stressed that “BBC News is not institutionally biased.”

In response to the crisis, spokesman Keir Starmer said No 10 believes the BBC is neither corrupt nor institutionally biased, but it is right that senior leaders bear responsibility for mistakes.

The spokesman said: “We support a strong, independent BBC, and in the age of misinformation, the case for a strong, impartial UK news service is stronger than ever, but it is important to maintain trust and right wrongs.”

Asked if the company was under pressure from right-wing attacks, the spokesman would only say that it was important to maintain trust. He said: “Tim Davie and Deborah Torness have taken responsibility for mistakes. It is right that we now continue to support the BBC, as an important national institution, and manage the transition.”

David Yelland, who edited the Sun from 1998 to 2003 and now presents a podcast for the BBC, told Radio 4’s Today program that the departures were a “coup” orchestrated from within, and that Davies and Torness had been systematically undermined by people close to the BBC board over a long period.

Yelland’s criticism reflected a state of dismay within BBC News, with one source saying on Sunday evening: “It looks like a coup. This is the result of a campaign by political enemies of the BBC.”

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey wrote in a letter to Starmer, Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage on Monday that it was in Britain’s national interest to defend the BBC against foreign interference.

“It should be deeply worrying for us all to see the President of the United States pressuring the BBC on its leadership and attacking its journalists as corrupt,” Davie wrote. “Foreign powers should not dictate where the British people get their news. We must stand united to defend our democracy against foreign interference like this – even when it comes from an important ally.”

The crisis was sparked by leaked findings by the BBC’s former independent external adviser to the BBC’s editorial guidelines and standards committee, Michael Prescott, who left his post in the summer.

In his letter, Shah said Prescott’s memo was a “partial” and “personal” account of the BBC’s discussions and did not reflect a full picture of internal discussions and decisions taken.

Prescott’s memo criticized the editing of Trump’s speech on an episode of Panorama, which he said made it appear as if Trump encouraged the attack on the US Capitol. In fact, two sections of the speech that were spliced ​​together were delivered an hour apart, and the edit did not mention that Trump also said he wanted his supporters to demonstrate peacefully.

Shah said the issue was “considered and discussed as part of a wider review of the BBC’s US election coverage” at an early stage, “given it did not attract significant audience feedback and was broadcast before the US election”. He said that the points raised by this review were conveyed to the Panorama team.

But he added that “in hindsight, it would have been better to take more formal action” involving those who made decisions about the documentary.

Shah wrote that he met with Prescott and discussed next steps, but his memo was “his personal account of the meetings at which he was present” and did not “represent a complete picture of the discussions, decisions and actions taken.”

At a press conference in Westminster on Monday, Farage claimed that the BBC had been “institutionally biased for decades” and that Davie should be replaced “by someone from the private sector who went into a failing organisation, and changed not just the profitability but the culture”.

He accused the company of “interfering in elections,” and called for it to be downsized and forced to compete with commercial service providers for subscriptions.