theguardian.com
ABC News Editing Errors
Independent review clears ABC of deliberate misinformation but finds editing errors in Afghanistan war reporting.
English
United Kingdom
InvestigationControversyMediaIndo PacificReviewEditing
AbcChannel Seven7.30Australian Defence ForceUs Drug Enforcement Administration
Alan SunderlandBret HamiltonJustin StevensLinton BesserMark WillacyHeston RussellDavid Anderson
- Who was absent from the senate estimates hearing, and why?
- ABC Managing Director David Anderson was absent from a senate estimates hearing discussing the report due to a medical issue, but other executives represented the organization and addressed the findings.
- What prior accusations prompted the review of the ABC's reporting?
- Channel Seven's Spotlight program had previously accused the ABC of adding gunshot sounds, prompting the review. This followed a defamation case won by former commando Heston Russell against the ABC.
- What stories were included in the scope of the independent review?
- The review examined three related stories from 2022 investigating Australian commandos' activities in Afghanistan, including an online article and two 7.30 reports. The report concluded that there was no evidence that anyone at ABC deliberately manipulated information.
- What caused the errors in the ABC's video footage, according to the review?
- The review cleared the ABC of deliberately doctoring footage, but found that the errors were the result of attempts to create clean and effective sequences. The ABC has apologized for the mistakes and removed the affected video.
- What were the main findings of the independent review into the ABC's reporting on Australian commandos?
- An independent review by Alan Sunderland found that the ABC inadvertently added extra gunshot sounds to footage of a commando operation in Afghanistan, and that an interview with Bret Hamilton was misleadingly edited.