Former US President Donald Trump has threatened to take legal action against the BBC and welcomed the resignations of two of its most senior executives following controversy over a documentary that used a misleading edit of his January 6 speech.
BBC Leadership Resigns Amid Mounting Pressure
The BBC director general, Tim Davie, and its News CEO, Deborah Turness, both stepped down on Sunday amid growing criticism of the broadcaster's editorial standards. Trump immediately praised their departures, specifically thanking the rightwing Telegraph newspaper for exposing what he called "corrupt journalists."
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated: "Thank you to The Telegraph for exposing these Corrupt 'Journalists.' These are very dishonest people who tried to step on the scales of a Presidential Election." He further emphasised the international dimension of the controversy, noting that the BBC represents "a Foreign Country, one that many consider our Number One Ally."
The Controversial Edit That Sparked Outrage
The core of the dispute centres on an episode of the BBC's flagship current affairs programme Panorama broadcast in 2024. According to a leaked internal report by a former BBC standards adviser, the documentary "completely misled" viewers by splicing together two parts of Trump's January 6 speech delivered up to an hour apart.
The problematic edit combined a line about walking to the Capitol with Trump's instruction to supporters to "fight like hell." This editing choice created the impression that these statements were delivered consecutively when they were actually separated by significant time during the original speech.
Following the controversy, BBC chair Samir Shah apologised for the editing of Trump's speech, calling it an "error of judgment."
White House Joins Criticism of BBC
The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, joined in criticising the BBC, celebrating Davie's resignation by posting on X her Saturday interview with the Telegraph captioned with "shot" alongside the BBC article announcing Davie's departure captioned with "chaser."
During her Telegraph interview, Leavitt had described the BBC as "100% fake news" and a "propaganda machine," claiming that watching BBC bulletins while on trips to the UK "ruins" her day. She also criticised British taxpayers for being "forced to foot the bill for a leftist propaganda machine."
Broader Context of Media Relations
This incident occurs against a backdrop of Trump's consistently antagonistic relationship with major news organisations. Throughout his political career, Trump has frequently labelled media outlets as "the enemy of the people" and has employed various strategies against press organisations, including:
- Filing lawsuits against news organisations
- Revoking press credentials for reporters
- Exerting pressure on media companies and platforms
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has expressed concern about these developments, stating that "press freedom is no longer a given in the United States" and warning that the Trump administration's policies could cause irreparable harm that might take decades to repair.
Meanwhile, the BBC faces mounting pressure from multiple directions. Rightwing critics consistently accuse it of liberal bias, while leftwing critics argue that its management has been unduly influenced by previous Conservative governments and that it has allowed itself to be drawn into "culture wars" over issues like race, sex and gender.
The tense atmosphere has left BBC journalists feeling particularly exposed when reporting on contentious issues, especially coverage of the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, creating challenges for the independent, publicly funded broadcaster as it navigates increasingly polarised political landscapes.
