The outgoing chief executive of BBC News has stressed the corporation is "not institutionally biased" and the journalists are not "corrupt".
Deborah Turness resigned yesterday alongside director-general Tim Davie after concerns were raised in a report about the way a speech by Donald Trump was edited for Panorama.
Arriving at Broadcasting House in central London, she told reporters: "I would like to say it has been the privilege of my career to serve as the CEO of BBC News and to work with our brilliant team of journalists.
"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. That's why it's the world's most trusted news provider."
Asked if BBC journalists are institutionally corrupt, she replied: "Of course our journalists aren't corrupt, our journalists are hard working people who strive for impartiality, and I will stand by their journalism.
"There is no institutional bias. Mistakes are made, but there's no institutional bias."
Asked why mistakes were not dealt with, including on Mr Trump, on antisemitism and on women's rights,
Ms Turness replied: "I'm sure that story will emerge."
BBC chairman Samir Shah is expected to send a letter to the UK's Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Monday in which he apologises after the corporation was accused of misleading the public following claims that the speech had been selectively edited in the documentary, Trump: A Second Chance?
A memo by Michael Prescott, a former external adviser to the BBC's editorial standards committee, raised concerns in the summer about the way clips of the US president's speech on 6 January 2021 were spliced together to make it appear he had told supporters he was going to walk to the US Capitol with them to "fight like hell".
Critics said the documentary, broadcast by the BBC the week before last year's US election, was misleading and removed a section where the US president said he wanted supporters to demonstrate peacefully.
Mr Shah said yesterday was a "sad day" for the BBC while committee chairwoman Caroline Dinenage said Mr Davie's resignation was "regrettable" but "restoring trust in the corporation must come first".
Mr Davie said his departure will not be immediate and that he is "working through" timings to ensure an "orderly transition" over the coming months, while Ms Turness said controversy around the Panorama edit had "reached a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC - an institution that I love".
In a statement sent to staff, Mr Davie said his resignation was "entirely" his decision and he was "thankful" to the chairman and board for their "unswerving and unanimous support" during his tenure.
He said: "Like all public organisations, the BBC is not perfect, and we must always be open, transparent and accountable."
The BBC has been criticised for a number of failings in recent months which include breaching its own accuracy editorial guidelines, livestreaming the controversial Bob Vylan Glastonbury set, as well as misconduct allegations surrounding former MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace.
