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The BBC is undoubtedly one of the most powerful and respected journalistic organizations in the global media landscape. Since November 10, it has been at the center of an unprecedented crisis of credibility. Director-General Tim Davie and News Director Deborah Terns resigned amid a wave of pressure, political attacks, and public scrutiny. The reason for the turmoil was the revelation that an episode of the Panorama series, entitled Trump: A Second Chance? had edited excerpts from Donald Trump’s speech on January 6, 2021, in a way that “created the impression of a direct incitement to violent action.”

In that speech, the then US president had called on his supporters to march on the Capitol, while Panorama’s version showed excerpts from different moments in time, about 50 minutes apart, condensed into a continuous stream. The result seemed to explicitly link Trump’s words to the events of the Capitol invasion. Former BBC president Shamira Shah later acknowledged that this was an “error of judgment” and that “there should have been a more formal response” from the organization’s ethics committee.

The crisis began with an internal report by former advisor Michael Prescott, which was leaked to the Daily Telegraph. Prescott, a former political editor of the Sunday Times and advisor to the BBC’s ethics committee, accused the network not only of the Panorama episode but also of broader problems of bias, from its coverage of the war in Gaza to issues of gender identity. The memo described a culture of internal inertia and a lack of institutional self-criticism.

In his resignation statement, Davey admitted that “mistakes have been made and, as Director-General, I must take ultimate responsibility.” Ternes added that “the allegations of institutional bias are wrong, but the damage to the organization’s credibility is serious.”

The case went beyond the borders of the United Kingdom when Donald Trump threatened the British organization with a billion-dollar lawsuit. Trump’s legal team sent a letter with three demands: full retraction of the documentary, a public apology, and “appropriate compensation” for the alleged defamation. The letter gave a deadline of November 14, otherwise the president “would be compelled to pursue all of his legal rights.”

The BBC confirmed that it had received the letter and would respond in due course, while Shah, in a letter to the House of Commons, noted that the ethics committee had already examined the issue twice in 2024 and that the editing of the footage “did indeed give the impression of directly inciting violence.” At the same time, he defended the overall integrity of the BBC, rejecting the claim that there had been systematic bias.

Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party and friend of Trump, accused the BBC of “interfering in the elections” and “being institutionally biased for decades.” He revealed that he spoke on the phone with Trump, who reportedly said to him, “Is this how you treat your best ally?” Former BBC chairman Samir Shah argued that the leak of Prescott’s memo was exploited by “political enemies of the BBC” in a broader campaign to delegitimize the organization.

The Keir Starmer government, taking a more level-headed and politically mature stance, reminded the public through its Downing Street spokesperson that “the BBC plays a vital role in an age of misinformation” and that “Britain needs strong and independent public service broadcasting.” However, the credibility crisis seems to be a given, with Finance Minister Rachel Reeves admitting that “the BBC has fallen below its high standards,” she expressed “complete confidence that it will recover.”

The timing for the BBC is extraordinary, as 2027 marks the end of the current royal charter that defines the organization’s status, funding, and accountability. The government is preparing to reassess the television license model, a tool that many consider to be a lever of political pressure on public broadcasting. At the same time, the lack of leadership following Tim Davie’s resignation leaves the media without a clear negotiator in the new era, at a time when the organization’s impartiality is being severely tested.

The current crisis brings back memories of the so-called Gilligan affair in 2003, when coverage of the war in Iraq led to an institutional earthquake at Broadcasting House — a historic moment when the BBC was accused of “anti-government bias.” As then, the current crisis of confidence reveals the shift in public discourse at a time when every journalistic error inevitably became a political tool.

The affair comes as part of a broader conflict between populist narratives and institutional journalism, where every slip-up is weaponized as proof of bias, and any final confirmation of this will only serve to fuel the fire. However, impartiality is neither static nor easily measurable; in the post-truth landscape, every mistake becomes a weapon in a battle for control of the narrative. The BBC, a cornerstone of British public life for a century, is faced not only with internal self-criticism, but also with an external reality where trust in the journalism profession is being systematically eroded. If the BBC manages to turn this crisis into an opportunity for reflection and institutional renewal, it may prove that public information can still stand tall in the face of political turmoil — whether it blows from London or Washington.

 

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