BBC director general Tim Davie, news CEO Deborah Turness resign over Trump documentary edit
London: The Director General of Britain’s BBC, Tim Davie, and the Chief Executive of News, Deborah Turness, have resigned following mounting criticism over alleged bias at the corporation, including the editing of a speech by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The BBC has been embroiled in a series of allegations after an internal report by a former standards adviser was leaked to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, which cited failings in its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, trans issues and a speech made by Trump, as reported by Reuters.
The White House had recently denounced the broadcaster as a “propaganda machine” after its flagship Panorama programme was found to have edited two parts of Trump’s speech together so he appeared to encourage the Capitol Hill riots of January 2021.
Trump in the BBC documentary was shown telling his supporters that "we’re going to walk down to the Capitol" and that they would "fight like hell", remarks he made in a different part of his speech.
In a statement announcing his resignation, Davie, who has led the BBC since 2020, said he had taken the decision after reflecting on the “very intense personal and professional demands” of the position.
"This is entirely my decision, and I remain very thankful to the Chair and Board for their unswerving and unanimous support throughout my entire tenure, including during recent days," news agency quoted Davie as saying.
Trump's press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the BBC as “100% fake news" and a "propaganda machine" in an interview published on Friday. Davie will stay on for the next few months while a replacement is found.
Deborah Turness, the Chief Executive of BBC News, also stepped down from her position. In a message to staff, she rejected the recent allegations, stating that claims of institutional bias within BBC News were unfounded.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
4 workers die after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad
Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.
The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.
The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.
They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.
Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.
