Tim Davie has dramatically quit as the BBC director general. The British national broadcaster’s news chief Deborah Turness has also resigned amid a scandal involving edited footage of Donald Trump.
The BBC announced that the duo would be vacating their roles on Sunday evening, in news that will send shockwaves through the UK media industry. Deadline is told that Davie and Turness’ resignations were personal decisions, and they were not shown the door by Samir Shah, the corporation’s chairman.
In an email to staff, Davie said: “I wanted to let you know that I have decided to leave the BBC after 20 years. This is entirely my decision, and I remain very thankful to the chair and board for their unswerving and unanimous support throughout my entire tenure, including during recent days.
He added: “I have been reflecting on the very intense personal and professional demands of managing this role over many years in these febrile times, combined with the fact that I want to give a successor time to help shape the charter plans they will be delivering.”
Davie has worked at the BBC for 20 years, the past five of which as director general. He was expected to stay in the job, the biggest in British television, at least until the corporation renewed its operating agreement, known as its royal charter, by the end of 2027.
The bombshell comes after the BBC was accused of selectively editing Trump‘s January 6 speech to make it appear as if the U.S. president was encouraging the 2021 Capitol riot.
The concerns originated in an excoriating leaked memo attacking BBC News output. Obtained by The Daily Telegraph, the document was penned by Michael Prescott, who was an external adviser to the BBC board’s Editorial Guidelines and Standards Committee until June.
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