The editing style of a speech by US President Donald Trump on an episode of the BBC’s documentary programme broadcast ‘Panorama’ has sparked turmoil at the British news outlet. The latest controversy ultimately paved the way for an abrupt ouster of the BBC’s top bosses – Tim Davie and Deborah Turness.
After sitting in the BBC director-general seat for five years, Tim Davie has resigned alongside BBC News’ chief executive Deborah Turness. As far as Trump is concerned, these two are “very dishonest people who tried to step on the scales of a presidential election,” according his rant on Truth Social.
Tim Davie quits BBC role – Who is he?
Having served as one of the longest-serving executive at the BBC, Timothy Douglas Davie penned a message to the company staff over the weekend. Therein, he announced that it was “entirely” his decision to quit his post. He went on to admit to BBC’s imperfections, adding, “We must always be open, transparent and accountable.”
The British media executive continued, “While not being the only reason, the current debate around BBC News has understandably contributed to my decision… Overall, the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as director-general I have to take ultimate responsibility.”
Born in 1967, Tim Davie secured his private education at Whitgift school in South Croydon after scoring a scholarship. He was still studying English at Cambridge when Procter & Gamble hired him as a marketer. In 1993, he went on to commence his PepsiCo stint, and left his mark at the company as the vice-president of marketing and franchise, according to the Guardian.
His 2005 entry point into the BBC involved him stepping into role of the BBC’s marketing, communications and audiences.
Before stepping up as BBC Worldwide’s chief executive in 2012, he settled into the role of director of the audio and music division (2008). At the time, he was involved in running a number of radio stations, including Radio 1, 2, 3 and 4. Doubling down on the BBC’s intent to focus on “unique, high-quality radio,” he led efforts to cut 6 Music and the Asian Network to limit the vast abundance of stations. However, the attempts were flushed down the drain after a public campaign forced the BBC to retract its decision to close the stations.
He took on the duties of the BBC’s acting director general role following the resignation of George Entswile in November 2012. However, Davie wasn’t officially named the director general until June 2020. He finally assumed the position wholeheartedly in September that year.
Years down the line in 2018, he was at the helm of BBC Studios’ formation in light of the merger between BBC Worldwide and the corporation’s production arm. In 2019, he settled in as the company’s highest-paid exec, making £642,000.
Why did Tim Davie resign from the BBC?
Davie’s resignation comes shortly after the Telegraph shared a leaked BBC memo indicating that a ‘Panorama’ documentary had spliced together parts of Trump’s speech in such a way that it appeared as he had encouraged the January 2021 Capitol Hill riots. The memo leak was pushed by Michael Prescott, a former independent and external advisor the BBC’s editorial standards committee.
And so, concerns were raised about the “doctored” BBC Panorama documentary titled “Trump: A Second Chance?” Made by independent production banner October Films Ltd, the doc was broadcast last year.
Even White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dragged the BBC, and branded the broadcaster a “propaganda machine,” holding it responsible for “100% fake news.”