BBC Director General Tim Davie and CEO of news Deborah Turness resign: "This is the day the last shred of integrity died at the Beeb"
BUSINESS owners have slammed the BBC after Director General, Tim Davie, and CEO of News, Deborah Turness, resigned.
An investigation by the Telegraph revealed the BBC edited a Donald Trump speech at the time of the Capitol Hill riots of January 2021.
Tim Davie admitted there had been "some mistakes" but that the resignation was “entirely his decision”.
“While not being the only reason, the current debate around BBC News has understandably contributed to my decision,” he said.
“Overall, the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as director-general I have to take ultimate responsibility.”
Deborah Turness added: “In public life, leaders need to be fully accountable, and that is why I am stepping down. While mistakes have been made, I want to be absolutely clear recent allegations that BBC News is institutionally biased are wrong.”
It came after concerns about the BBC's impartiality were raised over how a speech by US President Donald Trump was edited in an episode of Panorama.
Trump described Davie and Turness as “very dishonest people who tried to step on the scales of a presidential election”.
Business owners slammed the BBC for the mistake.
Patricia McGirr, Founder at Burnley-based Repossession Rescue Network, said: "This is the day the last shred of integrity died at the Beeb. In an increasingly paid-for, partisan press, the BBC was meant to stand for impartiality. If even that falls to manipulation, what hope is left for truth?
"The death of real journalism isn’t coming, it’s already here, shrouded in clout chasing and causes. The world doesn’t need curated narratives; it needs facts, honesty and the courage of editors to tell uncomfortable stories through unfiltered lenses. The licence fee debate might raise its head, but misses the point. Without trust, no broadcaster has earned the right to our money or our attention."
Kate Underwood, Managing Director / HR Director at Southampton-based Kate Underwood HR and Training, said the BBC needs reforming.
She continued: “Trust funds journalism. The BBC just set fire to it. Is the BBC fit for purpose and independent? Not right now. If your flagship programme can pass off selective edits, the guardrails aren’t working. Independence isn’t a slogan. It is evidence, full tapes, open corrections, and consequences that bite. Until we see that, impartiality is marketing copy. Licence fee?
“Yes, scrap it. Freeze it and end criminal penalties. Then shift to a lean subscription or fund from general taxation with hard firewalls, strict transparency, and real Ofcom teeth. If the BBC wants universal funding, earn it back: publish source material, time-stamped corrections and invite external audits. Trust first, money second. Right now the order looks reversed.”
Kate Allen, Owner at Kingsbridge-based Finest Stays, said the BBC needs to win back trust.
She added: "I thought The Traitors finished with Alan Carr’s finale… turns out the real betrayal was in the BBC edit suite. The Trump footage scandal is a fundamental failure of judgment. I don’t want to see the BBC torn down or the licence fee scrapped: but when it goes wrong the answer should be transparency and tougher independent oversight.
"The BBC is woven into this country’s DNA; I’m still (just about) one of the faithful, but it now needs to win back our trust inch by inch and get back to doing what it can still do better than almost anyone else: independent, boringly accurate journalism and programmes that remind us why we ever cared about those three letters in the first place."
Chris Schutrups, Founder at Southampton-based The Mortgage Hut, fears that it could be the “beginning of the end” of the BBC.
He said: "The BBC has long been regarded as a cornerstone of impartial news — a trusted voice in a world increasingly shaped by algorithms and misinformation. That’s why this latest revelation is so disappointing. In recent years, the BBC has faced one reputational hit after another — from historic scandals to questions over editorial judgment — and this latest episode only deepens concerns about its direction.
"As a publicly funded organisation, its purpose should be to stand apart: independent, balanced and factual. Yet this moment could also be an opportunity.
“If the BBC can confront these issues head-on, recommit to genuine impartiality and rebuild public trust, it can still reclaim its place as the nation’s most reliable news source. But without that reset, the risk is that these repeated blows mark the beginning of the end for what was once one of Britain’s most respected institutions.”
Samuel Mather-Holgate, Independent Financial Adviser at Swindon-based Mather and Murray Financial, defended Davie.
He added: "This is a blatant overreaction from Lisa Nandy by a Labour Party wanting to seem more right wing than Reform. Tim Davie was steering a good path in choppy waters for the BBC, and should have been given time to get to his destination.
"Instead, like a Venezuelan drug boat, he’s been blown out of the water by a power hungry tyrant when it wasn’t their business. Better the devil you know may be the mantra that hunts Nandy, Starmer and the media hungry Labour Party."
