BBC top brass resigns amid criticism of Trump documentary, Gaza coverage
Network head Tim Davie, news chief Deborah Turness step down; Jewish communal group laments ‘scandal after scandal’; Foreign Ministry: BBC disinformation ‘fuels antisemitism’
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The BBC’s boss and its head of news quit on Sunday following criticism over bias at the British national broadcaster, including in its coverage of the Gaza war and the way it edited a speech that US President Donald Trump made on January 6, 2021.
The BBC had been under mounting pressure after an internal report by a former standards adviser was leaked to the Daily Telegraph newspaper last week, citing failings in its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, trans issues, and the speech made by Trump.
The report’s section on the Gaza war documented that BBC Arabic’s story selection and editing largely omitted pieces criticizing Hamas or highlighting the suffering of Israelis, including the hostages kidnapped by the terror group.
The BBC has also faced backlash over a number of other issues related to the war, including over a documentary narrated by the child of a Hamas official, and accusations that journalists posted antisemitic content on social media.
Pressure on the network rose when the White House recently denounced the broadcaster as a “propaganda machine,” after its flagship Panorama documentary program last year was found to have edited two parts of Trump’s speech together so he appeared to encourage the January 6 US Capitol riot.
Tim Davie, who has led the British Broadcasting Corporation since 2020, said he decided to step down after “reflecting on the very intense personal and professional demands of managing this role over many years in these febrile times.” Deborah Turness, the CEO of BBC News, also quit.
Widely respected around the world, the BBC has, in recent years, been accused of failing to maintain its commitment to impartial news, and of struggling to navigate the deeply polarized political and social environment.
The corporation, which is funded by a license fee paid by all of the UK’s television-watching households, also comes under intense scrutiny from some national newspapers and social media, which object to its funding model and perceived liberal stance.
Jewish and pro-Israel watchdogs have charged that the network has an anti-Israel bias. Last month, Britain’s media regulator sanctioned the BBC for a “materially misleading” documentary on Gaza because it failed to disclose that the narrator’s father was a deputy Hamas minister. The BBC had already apologized for the documentary and pulled it from its site.
The network was also condemned for showing punk-rap duo Bob Vylan chanting “Death to the IDF” at the Glastonbury music festival.
In addition, the BBC censured staffers in September for calling Hamas a terror group, although the UK designates it as such. Last year, it apologized for implying that Tel Aviv was the capital of Israel. Four days later, the former head of the BBC’s TV department, Danny Cohen, accused the network, and particularly BBC Arabic, of “egregious” anti-Israel bias.
The report published in the Telegraph last week, by Michael Prescott, a former external adviser to the BBC’s editorial standards committee, echoed many of those concerns. It said that BBC Arabic chose to “minimize Israeli suffering” in the war against Hamas in Gaza and elsewhere so it could “paint Israel as the aggressor.”
It additionally noted that a report submitted to the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines and Standards Board charged that allegations against Israel were “raced to air.”
“Claims against Israel seem to be raced to air or online without adequate checks, evidencing either carelessness or a desire always to believe the worst about Israel,” it said. “The errors come thick and fast, sometimes with ‘eyewitness’ testimony from locals who have tweeted in praise of the October 7 killings and worse.”
The report included examples of the BBC giving prominent play to Hamas-linked claims or of omitting Israeli perspectives from its coverage. BBC Arabic’s coverage of the 2024 Majdal Shams attack, which killed 12 children, it said, “contained unsubstantiated claims from Iran and Syria that Israel faked the attack as a pretext for attacking Hezbollah.”
The report also noted multiple journalists who appeared on BBC Arabic hundreds of times each, and who had posted antisemitic rhetoric to social media. In May, the network also saw leading sports presenter Gary Lineker leave after he faced criticism for reposting an antisemitic Instagram story.
UK’s Jewish leadership slams ‘scandal after scandal’
In a statement about the resignations, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, an umbrella communal group, called for further changes at the network after witnessing “scandal after scandal.”
“The Jewish community has long had profound concerns about the BBC’s coverage of the Middle East, but this has sunk to ever-greater depths over the last two years,” the statement said, adding that the resignations “must be seen as the beginning, rather than the end, of a process of renewal. Deep cultural change will be necessary to once again restore trust in one of our nation’s most cherished institutions.”
In its own statement, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Davie’s resignation “underscores the deep-seated bias that has long characterised the BBC’s coverage of Israel. For far too long, the BBC has spread disinformation that fuels antisemitism and radicalisation. But the problem extends beyond the BBC — far too many news outlets are promoting politics disguised as facts, amplifying Hamas’s fake campaigns.”
The resignation of the @BBC Director-General underscores the deep-seated bias that has long characterised the BBC’s coverage of Israel.
For far too long, the BBC has spread disinformation that fuels antisemitism and radicalisation.But the problem extends beyond the BBC – far… pic.twitter.com/14bXo2O8WG
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) November 9, 2025
The BBC faced a barrage of criticism from the Trump administration for a Panorama documentary in which Trump was shown telling his supporters that “we’re going to walk down to the Capitol” and that they would “fight like hell.”
In fact, he made the two statements far apart during a lengthy speech. He had actually followed up the remark about walking to the Capitol by saying they would “cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women.”
Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, described the BBC as “100% fake news” in an interview published on Friday.
British culture minister Lisa Nandy thanked Davie for his work, saying he had led the broadcaster through a period of significant change. But she also lamented the allegations.
“It isn’t just about the Panorama program, although that is incredibly serious,” she told BBC television in an interview. “There are a series of very serious allegations made, the most serious of which is that there is systemic bias in the way that difficult issues are reported at the BBC.”
The BBC has promised “a full response” to the UK Parliament’s culture, media, and sport committee on Monday.
Davie said in a statement that the call to resign was “entirely my decision,” and he will stay on for the next few months while a replacement is found.
“Like all public organizations, the BBC is not perfect, and we must always be open, transparent, and accountable,” Davie said in a statement posted on the BBC website. “While not being the only reason, the current debate around BBC News has understandably contributed to my decision… I have to take ultimate responsibility.”
A person familiar with the situation said Davie’s decision had left the BBC board stunned.
The Times of Israel Community.