The right-wing media ousts the BBC director and the head of news

LondonThe right-wing media has won its battle with the BBC. BBC Director-General Tim Davie resigned on Sunday afternoon after twenty years with the British public broadcaster. The decision comes after the ultraconservative newspaper Daily Telegraph A nineteen-page internal report was revealed exposing editorial irregularities, including the manipulation of a Donald Trump speech, as well as anti-Israel bias and censorship in the debate on gender issues.

The leak obtained by the newspaper—which has been waging a war against the BBC for years—has unleashed a media and political storm that has also ended with the resignation of Deborah Turness, news director. The controversy is part of a sustained campaign by the "British media right"—led by The Telegraph, The Daily Mail and other related publications, such as The Spectator—who for months have maintained a constant drip of accusations and leaks to question the impartiality of the public broadcaster. Regardless of any possible errors—or bias—in the program's coverage Panorama Regarding the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, the point is that accusing the network of being pro-Hamas or anti-Israel is simply false.

The origin of the crisis is a report prepared by Michael Prescott, a former external advisor to the BBC's editorial standards committee, which warned of impartiality issues. The document pointed out, among other things, that a speech by Donald Trump had been deceptively edited to make him appear more explicit in his call for violence.

Following the continuous trickle of information throughout the week, in a message to staff this Sunday, Davie stated that he was leaving of his own volition and that he would work with the BBC's governing council to ensure an orderly transition. Despite defending the institution as an expression of the "best of British public service," he acknowledged that the network "must be held accountable."

Public apology

The corporation plans to issue a public apology this Monday for the editing of the Trump video. The chairman of the board, Samir Shah, will send a letter to the Parliament's Culture, Media and Sport Committee to express "deep displeasure" over what he has called a "serious error."

The controversy grew even more on Friday when the White House accused the BBC of "willful dishonesty" and of operating as a "left-wing propaganda machine." Just a couple of months ago, one of the network's Washington correspondents conducted a highly flattering interview with Donald Trump at the president's own request. A highly flattering interview indeed. Meanwhile, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy criticized the "complete inconsistency" of the network's editorial standards, particularly in its coverage of Gaza, Israel, the debate surrounding transgender people, and its reporting on Trump. "The decisions are not always well-informed or meet the highest standards," she lamented.

The BBC board has already begun the process of finding a replacement for Davie. But beyond the names being considered, his departure opens a profound crisis regarding the impartiality and independence of the public broadcaster, which is also being questioned by the left, among other factors, precisely because of its pro-Israel coverage.