EXCLUSIVE: BBC News’ senior editors gathered the newsroom for a video call update on Wednesday, but there was one off-limits subject: the Donald Trump edit.
BBC journalists were told from the outset that leaders including Jonathan Munro, who is now acting head of news after Deborah Turness’ abrupt resignation at the weekend, could not answer questions about the bungled Panorama edit because of Trump’s $1B legal threat. “They said at the start of the call they had to be careful legally,” was how one observer characterized it.
Unlike the all-staff BBC call on Tuesday — where fury among employees spilled over into written comments — questions and remarks to news chiefs were vetted. The meeting was chaired by Phil Harrold, BBC News director of transformation.
Munro’s role in the crisis has been a source of consternation among BBC journalists, but he was not asked about the decision to defend the 2024 Panorama film, which spliced together two parts of Trump’s January 6 speech to give the appearance that he explicitly incited violence.
The BBC stood by the edit until Monday, when chair Samir Shah conceded: “The way the speech was edited did give the impression of a direct call for violent action. The BBC would like to apologise for that error of judgement.”
Sources said Richard Burgess, director of news content, admitted on Wednesday’s call that “significant mistakes” had been made, while Munro said that his conversations with Turness over her surprise departure as BBC News CEO would remain private.
Elsewhere on the BBC News call, Munro said BBC Arabic was not under threat amid serious criticism about the network consistently platforming individuals with antisemitic views. Munro pointed to changes made at BBC Arabic, including overhauling its Press Review item — which collates media reporting from the Middle East — and bolstering editorial leadership and accountability at the service.
The Trump edit and BBC Arabic were attacked in a memo written by Michael Prescott, a former external adviser to the BBC board’s editorial standards committee. The document, which sparked the crisis that led to the resignation of director general Tim Davie and Turness, also criticized the BBC’s perceived pro-trans rights reporting.
Burgess was asked about this point during the news call, telling staff that the BBC had not got everything right on gender identity matters, but that “progress” had been made. Burgess stressed that the BBC should be a safe space for people who believe in trans rights and those who are gender critical, per sources.
