London: The BBC's chairman apologised Monday for an "error of judgement" involving the editing of a speech by US President Donald Trump, which has resulted in high-profile resignations at the UK broadcaster.

"We accept that the way the speech was edited did give the impression of a direct call for violent action. The BBC would like to apologise for that error of judgement," Samir Shah said in a letter to a parliamentary watchdog committee.

The BBC's director general and its head of news both resigned Sunday after it emerged that a former external standards adviser had raised impartiality concerns over the editing of Trump's speech to suggest he had directly instigated the 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

Background

According to AFP reports, the resignations followed the publication of a leaked internal memo by Michael Prescott, a former independent adviser to the BBC’s Editorial Standards Committee. The memo raised questions about the documentary’s editing choices and potential misrepresentation of Trump’s remarks.

In a statement, Davie said: “Overall the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as Director-General I have to take ultimate responsibility.” He noted that while his resignation was a personal decision, recent controversies surrounding BBC News contributed to his choice.

Davie also highlighted the importance of the BBC in “increasingly polarised times,” emphasising its role in promoting kindness, tolerance, and curiosity. He expressed gratitude to the Board for their support and said he would ensure an orderly transition for his successor.