Crisis at the BBC: top executives resign after manipulating a Trump speech on Jan. 6

British public broadcaster BBC is facing a credibility crisis following the resignation of its director general, Tim Davie, and the head of News and Current Affairs, Deborah Turness, amid accusations of manipulation of a speech by the president Donald Trump.

Davie, 58, announced his resignation on Sunday after five years leading the corporation. In a letter to staff, he said that stepping down “is entirely my decision” and acknowledged that while “overall the BBC is delivering well,” there have been “some mistakes made,” for which he must take “ultimate responsibility.”

The controversy arose from an episode of the 'Panorama' program that edited Trump's January 6, 2021 speech —delivered before the attack on the Capitol—, omitting the part where he urged his supporters to protest “peacefully and patriotically,” while keeping the phrase “fight like hell.”

Turness, for his part, explained that the situation had reached "a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC, an institution that I love," adding that "as the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, the buck stops with me."

President Trump reacted to the scandal via Truth Social, where he wrote: "The TOP people in the BBC, including TIM DAVIE, the BOSS, are all quitting/FIRED, because they were caught ‘doctoring’ my very good (PERFECT!) speech of January 6th." He further thanked The Telegraph for "exposing these corrupt journalists" and called the case "a terrible thing for democracy."

British newspaper The Telegraph published excerpts from an internal dossier prepared by Michael Prescott, a consultant hired by the BBC, which questioned aspects of the channel's coverage, including its reporting on Trump, its treatment of transgender issues and an alleged anti-Israel bias.

The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, also referred to the case and called the BBC “100% fake news” and a “propaganda machine.” In an interview with The Telegraph, she said the edited clip “is further evidence that they are total, 100% fake news.”