Pressmediaofindia
Related Articles
24-11-2025
LONDON: Shumeet Banerji has resigned from the BBC board and criticized governance issues at the organisation, the latest blow to the broadcaster weeks after its director general quit.
The BBC confirmed Banerji’s departure on Friday, saying he stepped down only weeks before the end of his four-year term.
According to BBC News, Banerji said in his resignation letter that he was unhappy about governance issues at the organization.
He also said he had not been consulted about key developments surrounding the abrupt exits of director general Tim Davie and BBC News chief executive Deborah Turness, BBC News reported.
Both stepped down on November 9 after mounting criticism of the broadcaster’s handling of political coverage, including the editing of a Donald Trump speech delivered on January 6, 2021, shortly before his supporters stormed the United States Capitol.
‘No legal basis’
The BBC issued an apology on November 13 for how its investigative program Panorama edited the footage. However, it insisted there was “no legal basis” for Trump to sue for defamation.
The dispute focuses on Panorama’s documentary, Trump: A Second Chance, broadcast in October 2024, just days before Trump secured re-election.
The film stitched together two separate lines from Trump’s January 6 address, almost an hour apart, creating the impression he urged supporters to “fight like hell” while heading towards the Capitol.
Trump and his allies say the sequence was misleading and stripped away crucial context from the speech.
They argue that Trump also told the crowd “to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard” and encouraged supporters to “cheer on our brave senators and Congressmen and women”. The edited version, they say, suggested a more direct incitement to violence.
The scandal has intensified scrutiny of the BBC at a moment when the broadcaster is already grappling with accusations of internal bias, fueled by a leaked internal memo.
Prescott’s memo was handed to the BBC board weeks ago and was leaked to the Daily Telegraph, which reported its contents over several days.
It included concerns about an edit of a Donald Trump speech on Panorama. The US president has since threatened to sue, potentially for billions. Shah, however, has also said Prescott’s memo was a partial and personal account of BBC discussions and did not reflect a full picture.
MPs, BBC staff members and Bectu, the main BBC union, have called for Gibb to be removed from the BBC board over allegations of political interference.
Friends of Gibb have said he is a defender of the BBC and acts out of genuine concern for its impartiality. The broadcaster has said he is only one of many voices on the BBC’s board.
A BBC spokesperson said: “Shumeet Banerji today notified the BBC board of his resignation. Banerji’s term on the board as a non-executive director was due to end at the end of December and we thank him for his service.
“The search for a replacement is already well under way and we will update further in due course.” (Int’l News Desk)
