Nick Robinson@bbcnickrobinson
What has happened...what is happening at the BBC? In normal times you might be forgiven for dismissing that question as naval gazing by journalists who can't resist talking about themselves. In normal times I'd be inclined to agree with you. These, though, are not normal times.
Ever since the first rumours of the resignations surfaced I've been piecing together what happened which led to this crisis ...
Those at the top of the BBC have appeared paralysed for the past week - unable to agree what to say not just about the editing of Donald Trump’s speech by Panorama but also wider claims of institutional bias
One source described the arguments that have raged ever since the Telegraph published a leaked memo by a former adviser to the BBC board as “like armed combat”. Another alleged “political interference” after what they described as “a hostile takeover of parts of the BBC”.
The BBC is run by a board made up of the leaders of the major divisions of the corporation and part time directors appointed by the government of the day.
BBC News executives - the journalists who run the News division - agreed the wording of a statement at the beginning of last week, admitting that it had been a mistake to edit together two different sections of Donald Trump’s speech on the day of the Capitol Hill riots without clearly signalling to the audience that the edit had been made. It would have concluded that despite this error there was “no intention to mislead” the audience.
This was not enough for the BBC board which refused to sign off the statement. The report it had received from Michael Prescott, who was an independent adviser to the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines and Standards Board until June 2025, stated that the Panorama film “created the impression that Trump said something he did not and, in doing so, materially misled viewers.”
The argument which raged on the BBC Board ensured that the BBC neither defended itself nor admitted its mistakes for day after day after the leaking of the Prescott dossier alleging “institutional bias”. As criticism mounted from the White House, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and many others, the BBC only said that that it would not comment on leaked documents whilst promising that the Chairman of the BBC, Samir Shah, would respond in writing to MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee.
In her resignation statement last night the chief executive of BBC News Deborah Turness stated that
“The ongoing controversy around the Panorama on President Trump has reached a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC – an institution that I love”
Neither she nor the outgoing Director General Tim Davie explained what they thought had gone wrong.
A majority of the BBC Board appear to agree with their editorial adviser that there is a problem of institutional bias reflected in the coverage of Donald Trump, Gaza/Israel and trans rights. That argument has been led by one board member Sir Robbie Gibb - a former BBC executive in charge of political programmes who became Prime Minister Theresa May’s Downing Street Director of Communications and one of those involved in the founding of GB News. Friends of Sir Robbie insist he has repeatedly and consistently supported Tim Davie and wanted him to stay and has written articles supporting the BBC and the licence fee .
As of last night the BBC board’s 15 members had still not agreed the wording of the statement that is due to be made today by the Chairman of the BBC Samir Shah.
We expect that letter to be published later this morning
A final thought...I understand that at the time of transmission of the Panorama film in October 2024 there were no complaints received about the editing of Donald Trump’s speech.
