EXCLUSIVE: Donald Trump and Right-Wingers Accused of Launching 'Hitler-Style Attack' on 'Weak-Minded' BBC to 'Dismantle Democracy'
President Donald Trump and right-wing figures have been accused of targeting BBC to erode democracy.
Nov. 11 2025, Published 7:13 p.m. ET
Donald Trump is being accused of orchestrating a "Hitler-style assault" on the BBC as right-wing figures in the U.S. and U.K. step up attacks on the broadcaster following the resignation of its director general Tim Davie, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Davie, 58 and Deborah Turness, also 58, and the BBC's head of news, both quit their jobs on Sunday, November 10, after an internal report found a BBC Panorama documentary had used a misleading edit of Trump's January 6, 2021 speech.
Trump Leads Renewed Offensive
Donald Trump criticized the BBC after a misleading Panorama edit of his January 6 speech.
Trump condemned the "corrupt" BBC, calling its journalists "very dishonest" after the report emerged.
On Truth Social, he ranted: "The TOP people in the BBC, including TIM DAVIE, the BOSS, are all quitting/FIRED, because they were caught 'doctoring' my very good (PERFECT!) speech of January 6th. These are very dishonest people who tried to step on the scales of a Presidential Election. What a terrible thing for Democracy!"
Trump's renewed offensive against the BBC was echoed by right-wing commentators and political allies, who have accused the corporation of bias and call for it to be defunded. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the corporation was "anti-Trump fake news," while former British prime minister Boris Johnson praised Davie's resignation as "long overdue."
Historic Parallels and Warnings
BBC director general Tim Davie resigned over the controversy.
But senior media figures and historians have warned the campaign against the BBC mirrors the methods of authoritarian regimes.
"This is straight from the Nazi playbook–attack public institutions, brand them enemies of the people, and replace them with loyal propaganda," said one industry source.
"Trump's approach is about discrediting any independent voice that challenges him."
Panorama Report Sparks Resignations
Trump called BBC journalists 'very dishonest' on Truth Social.
Davie's resignation followed the publication of a 19-page internal report by Michael Prescott, a former adviser to the BBC's editorial standards board. It found a Panorama episode, Trump: A Second Chance?, edited footage of Trump's January 6 address to imply he had encouraged supporters to march with him on the Capitol.
Davie admitted "mistakes had been made" and said he had to "take ultimate responsibility," while Turness said "the buck stops with me." BBC chairman Samir Shah described it as "a sad day." But inside the corporation, there is widespread anger the resignations were made at all.
Fears for Democracy and Press Freedom
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The internal report found the Panorama episode edited Trump's speech inaccurately.
A senior BBC executive said: "The BBC has been weak-minded. Instead of standing firm against an orchestrated campaign from Trump and his right-wing nutters, it folded. This is all clearly about dismantling democracy, not protecting it."
Critics have also accused the British government of caving to pressure from Trump-aligned politicians and media outlets. Jane Martinson, a professor of financial journalism at City St George's University, London, said: "The resignations of Davie and the BBC head of news, Deborah Turness, have shown that baying for blood gets results."
One senior producer warned: "We're watching a page torn straight from history – intimidate the press, rewrite the story, then claim victory for democracy."
