BBC Bosses Resign Over Coverage of Gaza, Trump

Tim Davie, director general of the BBC, announced his resignation on Sunday after allegations of widespread bias in the broadcaster's coverage of major political issues, including President Trump, the fighting in Gaza, and transgender rights. Deborah Turness, the head of BBC News, also stepped down, the Guardian reports, saying the issue is "causing damage to the BBC." Davie told the staff in a memo that the decision to leave was his. "Overall the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as director-general I have to take ultimate responsibility," Davie wrote, per the AP.

The pressure on the BBC intensified after an assessment by Michael Prescott, a former independent adviser on editorial practices. The Daily Telegraph had reported that an internal document he produced listed a series of errors, per Reuters, some involving the editing of Trump's speech outside the White House on Jan. 6, 2021. Prescott suggested the BBC's Panorama program had combined two parts of Trump's speech in a way that made it appear he encouraged the Capitol riot that followed. The BBC is preparing an apology for the segment, per the Guardian. The document also was critical of the BBC's coverage of transgender issues and raised concerns about anti-Israel bias in its Arabic service, per the AP.