UK: RSF warns against political interference in the BBC after shock resignations

BBCDirector General Tim Davieand Chief Executive of News Deborah Turnessboth resigned on Sunday following a growing controversy over editorial mistakes aired in a 2024 Panorama documentary about Donald Trump - the latest in a series of pressure points for an organisation which is both one of the most trustedand one of the most scrutinised news providers in the world.

The US President and his allies were quick to respond to the double departure. On Monday, Trump threatened a $1bn lawsuit against the BBCunless he received a retraction of the documentary by 14 November; his press secretary Karoline Leavitt had recently described the BBCas "100% fake news" and a "propaganda machine." Meanwhile, in the UK, the head of the populist Reform UK party Nigel Farage - who in 2019 branded the BBC "the enemy"- also capitalised on the moment, accusing the BBCof having been biased for years. The BBCsaid it would respond to the legal threats in due course.

"Febrile" times

The catalyst for the resignations was a leaked letter from an independent advisor to the BBC board, which accused the corporation of anti-Trump bias, notably through Panorama's misleading splice of two parts of a Trump speech. It also criticised the BBC's reporting of trans rights, and BBC Arabic's reporting of the Gaza war, among other things. But the fact the advisor is close to a board member appointed by former UK prime minister - and Trump apologist - Boris Johnson, has led many commentators to view recent events as just the latest chapter in a strategic assault on the BBC's independence by right-wing populists.

In separate statements emailed to staff, Davie and Turness said they were shouldering responsibilityfor mistakes made, though both defended the BBC and its newsroom. "We should champion it, not weaponise it," said Davie, who noted the "febrile" environment in which the BBC operates. Turness, meanwhile, strongly refuted accusations of institutional bias." My plea to you," she wrote, "please keep the courage to continue our mission."

Public media in the crosshairs

As RSF showed in a recent report, public service media in Europe find themselves under unprecedented pressure, as they experience a perfect storm of economic, technological, political, and trust challenges. Increasingly, they are finding themselves pawns in a political game, as powerful political players seek to interfere in their governing structures, or weaponise the funding mechanisms they rely on.

Founded in 1922as the British Broadcasting Company, the BBC has long dominated the UK media landscape and remains by far the most widely used source of newsnationally. Internationally, it is also highly trusted, and reaches more than 400 million people globally with news every week.

The UK is ranked 20out of 180 countries in RSF's 2025 World Press Freedom Index.