Ex-BBC News CEO Responds to Trump Claims Over Edited Speech Controversy: “Not Institutionally Biased”

In the wake of her resignation as BBC News CEO, Deborah Turness has responded to claims from U.S. President Donald Trump and vowed that the U.K. public broadcaster “is not institutionally biased.”

Turness and Director-General Tim Davie stepped down from their roles Sunday evening after the BBC was found to have edited a speech Trump made on Jan. 6, 2021, before the attack on the Capitol in Washington, D.C., for a Panoramadocumentary. Critics said the edit was misleading and cut parts of Trump’s remarks where he asked supporters to demonstrate peacefully.

The Republican President, a regular critic of mainstream media outlets, swiftly weighed in on the controversy via Truth Social: “The TOP people in the BBC, including TIM DAVIE, the BOSS, are all quitting/FIRED, because they were caught ‘doctoring’ my very good (PERFECT!) speech of January 6th,” he wrote, calling those involved “corrupt” journalists.

“These are very dishonest people who tried to step on the scales of a Presidential Election,” Trump also said. “On top of everything else, they are from a Foreign Country, one that many consider our Number One Ally. What a terrible thing for Democracy!”

Outside the BBC’s London headquarters Monday, Turness told the press: “Our journalists aren’t corrupt and I will stand by their journalism.”

“I would like to say it has been the privilege of my career to serve as the CEO of BBC News and to work with our brilliant team of journalists,” she continued. “I stepped down over the weekend because the buck stops with me. But I’d like to make one thing very clear, BBC News is not institutionally biased. That’s why it’s the world’s most trusted news provider.”

BBC chair Samir Shah issued an apology Monday after Davie —who has weathered BBC storms countless times before this —said he is taking “ultimately responsibility.” Shah said the news has led to over 500 complaints. “These are now being dealt with in the normal way. It has also prompted further reflection by the BBC. The conclusion of that deliberation is that we accept that the way the speech was edited did give the impression of a direct call for violent action. The BBC would like to apologize for that error of judgement.”

The chair explained what the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines and Standards Board heard from BBC News onhow the clip was edited, saying it “was to convey the message of the speech made by President Trump so that Panorama‘s audience could better understand how it had been received by President Trump’s supporters and what was happening on the ground at that time.”

But because the issue was handled as part of a wider review of the BBC’s U.S. election coverage and not as a specific program complaint, “the point wasn’t pursued further at the time,” added Shah. “The points raised in the review were relayed to the Panorama team, including the decision-making on this edit. With hindsight, it would have been better to take more formal action,” he concluded.

“I will personally ensure that the BBC continues to take the necessary actions in the future to ensure the BBC retains the trust and confidence of the public we serve,” Shah also said, outlining a series of measures the organization will now take, including amendments to the relevant online stories about the speech.

When asked by the BBC if the President is suing the corporation, Shah responded: “I don’t know that yet.”