A serious credibility crisis is shaking the BBC, after the resignations of director-general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness, following revelations that the documentary “Panorama” misled the public with an altered version of U.S. president Donald Trump’s speech.

The affair has triggered a political storm in Britain, with the government, the opposition, and the media asking for explanations on how the public broadcaster handled the matter.

Trump’s letter and threat of legal action

According to the BBC, the U.S. president sent a letter to the organization in which he threatens legal action over the misleading presentation of his speech. The BBC confirmed it had received the letter and stated it “will respond in due course.”

Trump had already attacked the BBC on the Truth Social platform, accusing it of tampering with his January 6, 2021 speech and calling the organization’s journalists corrupt.

The “edited” video that triggered the firestorm

The BBC was accused of cutting and stitching together fragments of Trump’s speech in order to make it appear as if he was directly calling for violent action on the day protesters stormed the Capitol.

In reality, the Panorama program had combined phrases from different parts of the speech, removing the part where Trump told his supporters to proceed “peacefully and patriotically.”

The incident generated more than 500 viewer complaints, as well as strong criticism from Washington, while Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt described it as “deliberate disinformation” and “100% fake news.”

Resignations and political reactions

Tim Davie and Deborah Turness resigned, taking “responsibility for the mistakes that were made,” as they said.

The developments are also connected to the leak of a memo by former adviser Michael Prescott, who spoke of a series of journalistic irregularities on various issues, from the war in Gaza to the coverage of Trump.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy announced that she will proceed with a revision of the BBC’s Royal Charter and a review of its funding model, while making clear that “the need for reliable information is more critical today than ever.”

The government’s stance and Farage’s comments

The British prime minister’s spokesperson said he “does not consider the BBC institutionally biased,” but urged it to act transparently and swiftly when mistakes are made.

Nigel Farage, Trump ally and leader of Reform UK, warned that “if the BBC does not restore its credibility, thousands of citizens will refuse to pay the licence fee.”

Public broadcaster credibility at the center

The scandal brings the BBC face to face with one of the biggest crises in its history. The erosion of public trust, as the chair of the Culture Committee Caroline Dinenage noted, is directly linked to the debate over the future of public funding for the organization.

The political storm that broke out after Panorama’s mistake shows that the BBC is now called upon to regain its credibility at a time when disinformation and political polarization threaten public information.