BBC Director-General Davie and Head of News Division Ternis announced their resignations on the 9th.
In recent days, the BBC has come under criticism and condemnation from the U.S. White House after its broadcast of a documentary accused of misleading viewers through edits of former President Trump's speech.
In a statement on the 9th, Davie said the BBC had 'made some mistakes,' and that he 'had to take ultimate responsibility.' In his resignation letter, Ternis stated that the ongoing controversy surrounding the documentary had damaged the BBC, and that 'the responsibility is mine.'
Reporting on the news, the BBC said Davie and Ternis decided to resign against the backdrop of criticism sparked by this documentary.
According to an exclusive report on the online edition of the Daily Telegraph on the 3rd, which cited parts of an internal BBC memo, the Panorama program's documentary 'Trump: A Second Chance?' aired last year, stitched together two clips from Trump's speech, making it seem as if Trump was inciting supporters to participate in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Nandy, said on the 9th that the Panorama incident was 'very serious', but the BBC also faces a series of 'very serious allegations', the most severe being 'systemic bias when reporting sensitive issues.'
British media say that BBC reporting in recent years has repeatedly triggered controversy and criticism, making it difficult to navigate the increasingly polarized political and social environment.
Trump Responds
Trump subsequently posted on his social media platform 'Truth Social': 'Top people at the BBC, including boss Davie, have resigned/been fired, after getting caught doctoring my spectacular (perfect!) January 6th speech.'
He said: 'Thanks to The Telegraph for exposing these corrupt "reporters." These people are extremely dishonest and attempted to interfere in a presidential election. What’s worse, they’re from a foreign country, one widely regarded as our number one ally. What a terrible thing this is for democracy!'