🔗 Share this article BBC Resignations Described as Internal 'Takeover' by Former Newspaper Editor The recent departures of the British Broadcasting Corporation's director general and its news chief over allegations of partiality have been characterized as an internal "coup" by a former newspaper editor. David Yelland, who previously edited the Sun newspaper from 1998 to 2003, claimed during a broadcast that the exits of Tim Davie and Deborah Turness came after systematic undermining by individuals close to the BBC board over an prolonged period. "It constituted a coup, and worse than that, it was an inside job. There existed individuals inside the corporation, very close to the leadership ... serving on the governing body, who have systematically undermined Tim Davie and his senior team over a period of [time] and this has been continuing for a considerable period. What transpired yesterday didn't just happen in vacuum," the former editor remarked. Leadership Failure Identified "What has transpired here is there existed a failure of leadership. I don't hold responsible the chairman [Samir Shah] as an individual, but the responsibility of the chair of any organization, a company – encompassing the BBC – is to maintain their chief executive, their senior executive, in role or dismiss them. And that has failed to happen, because Tim Davie was not fired. He stepped down and so there existed, that is the definition of, a breakdown of governance." Background of Recent Dispute The resignations on Sunday followed days of criticism from the White House and rightwing commentators in the UK that were prompted by allegations reported by the Daily Telegraph. The newspaper disclosed a leaked account of the findings of a previous independent external adviser to its editorial guidelines panel, Michael Prescott, who departed his position during the warmer months. He had questioned the modification of a speech by Donald Trump in an episode of Panorama, which he claimed made it appear that Trump had supported the US Capitol incident. Two sections of the address that were spliced together were delivered an sixty minutes apart, and the modification failed to mention that Trump had additionally said he desired his followers to demonstrate peacefully. Internal Reactions and Outside Perspectives Yelland's comments mirror a mood of dismay described by sources within BBC News on Sunday night, with one stating: "It feels like a coup. This represents the result of a campaign by political opponents of the BBC." Others, including Sky's previous political editor Adam Boulton, have claimed the overall impression that Trump encouraged the event was essentially true. It is common practice to combine segments of a lengthy address to properly condense it. Handover Plans and Institutional Effect Davie indicated his departure would not be instant and that he was "managing" scheduling to ensure an "smooth transition" over the coming period. Turness stated dispute around the Panorama modification had "arrived at a point where it is causing damage to the BBC – an institution that I value." On Monday, the BBC journalist Nick Robinson stated there had been paralysis at the top of the BBC because, while its experienced reporters wanted to express regret for the production mistake – but maintain there was "no plan to deceive" the audience – the government-selected directors preferred to go further. Political Response and Wider Context Shah is expected to apologize on Monday to the Commons' culture, media and sport committee, and to supply additional details on the Panorama episode in his reply to the committee, which had requested how he would handle the concerns. Speaking after the departures, the cabinet official Louise Sandher-Jones rejected suggestions the BBC was systematically biased. The public service official stated Sky News: "When you look at the vast range of domestic issues, local issues, international issues, that it has to report, I believe its output is highly trusted. When I speak to people who've got firmly established views on those, they're still utilizing the BBC for much of their information, it's forming their views on this."