BBC Director-General Resigns Amid Backlash Over Edited Trump Speech

The head of the BBC resigned on Sunday after criticism of the broadcaster's editing of a speech by US President Donald Trump.

The BBC said that director-general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness both announced their resignations on Sunday.

Britain's public broadcaster has been criticised for editing a speech Trump made on Jan. 6, 2021, before protesters attacked the Capitol in Washington.

Critics said that the way the speech was edited for a BBC documentary was misleading and cut out a section where Trump said that he wanted supporters to demonstrate peacefully.

In a letter to staff, Davie said quitting the job after five years "is entirely my decision." He said that he was "working through exact timings with the Board to allow for an orderly transition to a successor over the coming months."

Turness said that the controversy about the Trump documentary "has reached a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC - an institution that I love. As the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, the buck stops with me."

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