Outgoing BBC News CEO Deborah Turness insisted the organization is "not institutionally biased" despite stepping down amid a growing scandal over coverage of President Donald Trump.
The BBC has been hit with an onslaught of criticism over a BBC Panorama documentary about Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, speech that he delivered before the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Critics believe the documentary was misleading because it omitted Trump urging supporters to protest "peacefully," and stitched together remarks the president made nearly an hour apart to make it appear like one long statement.
Trump has threatened a $1 billion lawsuit if the "false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory statements" are not retracted immediately. Turness and BBC director-general Tim Davie both stepped down in recent days as a result of the controversy, but the former made it clear she stands by the organization.
"I stepped down over the weekend because the buck stops with me. But I'd like to make one thing very clear, BBC News is not institutionally biased," Turness told reporters outside the BBC headquarters in London on Monday.
"Our journalists aren't corrupt. Our journalists are hardworking people who strive for impartiality, and I will stand by their journalism," she added. "There is no institutional bias. Mistakes are made."
Despite Turness’ remarks, it seems that many inside the BBC disagree with the soon-to-be-former boss. An advisor hired by the BBC to review its editorial standards recently declared the documentary "created the impression that Trump said something he did not and, in doing so, materially misled viewers."
BBC anchor Nick Robinson posted on social media that "a majority of the BBC Board appear to agree with their editorial adviser that there is a problem of institutional bias reflected in the coverage of Donald Trump, Gaza/Israel and trans rights."
On Sunday, Trump’s litigation counsel sent a notice of intent to bring a civil action lawsuit to BBC Chair Samir Shah, along with general counsel Sarah Jones. The letter, first reported by Fox News Digital, said the statements in the documentary were "fabricated and aired by the BBC" and forced him to take legal action.
BBC DIRECTOR-GENERAL AND UK NEWS CHIEF BOTH RESIGN OVER TRUMP SPEECH EDITING SCANDAL
Trump’s legal team feels "the BBC’s reckless disregard for the truth underscores the actual malice behind the decision to publish the wrongful content, given the plain falsity of the statements."
The president asked for "a full and fair retraction of the documentary," a retraction of any other false statements, as well as an apology and compensation.
"If the BBC does not comply with the above by November 14, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. EST, President Trump will be left with no alternative but to enforce his legal and equitable rights, all of which are expressly reserved and are not waived, including by filing legal action for no less than $1,000,000,000 (One Billion Dollars) in damages. The BBC is on notice," the letter stated.
A BBC spokesperson told Fox News Digital the letter was under review and the organization would "respond directly in due course."
When Turness stepped down over the weekend, she said the controversy over the Trump documentary "has reached a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC, an institution that I love."
Turness was previously the president of NBC News from 2013-2017.
A spokesman for President Trump’s legal team provided the following statement to Fox News Digital: "The BBC defamed President Trump by intentionally and deceitfully editing its documentary in order to try and interfere in the Presidential Election. President Trump will continue to hold accountable those who traffic in lies, deception, and fake news."
Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey contributed to this report.
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