The director general of the BBC, Tim Davie, and the chief executive of news, Deborah Turness, have resigned following criticism over bias at the corporation, including in the way it edited a speech by US President Donald Trump.
The BBC has been embroiled in a spate of allegations that it had failed to maintain political neutrality in its reporting, including in its coverage of Trump, the Israel-Hamas war, and over trans issues.
In the most recent controversy, the Daily Telegraph had reported for days on an internal document produced by a former BBC adviser on standards who had listed a raft of errors, including in the way a speech by Trump on Jan. 6, 2021, was edited.
The document suggested the flagship Panorama program had edited two parts of Trump's speech together so he appeared to encourage the Capitol Hill riots of January 2021.
Respected overseas, questioned over news judgment
Widely respected around the world, the BBC has in recent years been accused of failing to maintain its commitment to impartial news and of struggling to navigate the deeply polarized political and social environment.
The corporation, which is funded by a license fee paid by all television-watching households, also comes under intense scrutiny from some national newspapers and social media, which object to its funding model and perceived liberal stance.
In recent years, it had struggled to contain scandals over the opinion on immigration of its most highly paid sports presenter, Gary Lineker, which briefly led to a walk-out by staff, while it was condemned for showing a punk-rap duo Bob Vylan chanting against the Israeli military at Glastonbury.
It also pulled a documentary about Gaza earlier this year because it featured the son of a Hamas member.
In the Panorama documentary, Trump was shown telling his supporters that "we’re going to walk down to the Capitol" and that they would "fight like hell," a comment he made in a different part of his speech.
He had actually followed up that remark about walking to the Capitol by saying they would "cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women."
Trump's press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, described the BBC as “100% fake news" in an interview published on Friday.
Davie's departure comes after 'difficult' year for BBC
British culture minister Lisa Nandy thanked Davie for his work, saying he had led the broadcaster through a period of significant change.
Davie said in a statement that the decision was "entirely my decision" and he will stay on for the next few months while a replacement is found.
A person familiar with the situation said Davie's decision had left the BBC board stunned.
Davie had faced several crises since taking the job. In 2023, the BBC was forced to axe much of its sports coverage on a Saturday as presenters refused to work in solidarity with Lineker.
The former England striker, who anchored the football highlights program "Match of the Day," had been taken off air after comments he made on social media about immigration.
Critics said the BBC had bowed to pressure from the then-Conservative government. Lineker was back on air soon after, but left the corporation earlier this year after another spat over social media comments.
British Jews respond to the resignation
“The Jewish community has long had profound concerns about the BBC’s coverage of the Middle East, but this has sunk to ever-greater depths over the last two years," the Board of Deputies of British Jews said in a statement responding to Davie's resignation.
“The BBC has been hit by scandal after scandal, whether in terms of a Gaza documentary involving the son of a Hamas official, its Glastonbury coverage, the open sore of BBC Arabic, or by refusing to call Hamas what they are: a terrorist organisation," the statement read.
"Jewish staff and contractors have also repeatedly complained about their treatment at the Corporation."
“In this light, Tim Davie’s and Deborah Turness’s resignations must be seen as the beginning, rather than the end, of a process of renewal. Deep cultural change will be necessary to once again restore trust in one of our nation’s most cherished institutions," the statement concluded.