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ABC refuses to correct record on dodgy Trump-Russia dossier story

The ABC is being pressured for a correction of a now-discredited three-part series on Donald Trump which Four Corners claimed was “the story of the century”.

The ABC has been challenged to correct its reporting on Donald Trump after a key source for the so-called Steele Dossier – which a three-part Four Corners documentary heavily relied upon to prove allegations of Russian collusion – was ­indicted for lying to the FBI.

In 2018 the broadcaster’s flagship current affairs program promised to blow the lid off what was dubbed the “story of the century”, namely allegations that Russia colluded with the Trump campaign to win the presidency in 2016.

However, claims of Russian collusion have since fallen apart, with much of the evidence against the Trump campaign now appearing to have been part of a politically motivated stitch-up.

Last week one of the key sources for the Steele Dossier, Igor Danchenko, was indicted for lying to an FBI probe into false allegations of collusion.

The Four Corners story on former US President Donald Trump was touted as “the story of the century.” Picture: AFP
The Four Corners story on former US President Donald Trump was touted as “the story of the century.” Picture: AFP

The dossier was put together by former MI6 agent Christopher Steele and commissioned by a research firm tied to the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Much else in the dossier has also been debunked, with the Washington Post issuing a correction on Saturday removing and clarifying large chunks of articles about the dodgy document.

“Four Corners has once again fallen for an old three-card trick,” said Michael Kroger, who served on the board of the ABC during the Howard Government.

“Transfixed by anti-Trump mania, the ABC was desperate to put anything they could find, credible or otherwise.

“The ABC needs to do another three part series on where this all went wrong to begin with.”

Maurice Newman — who chaired the ABC board from 2007 to 2012 — agrees. He said Four Corners routinely pursued agendas over facts.

“It is unmoored from reality — they start from a conclusion and then work their way back,” he said.

“This is more than just about Four Corners and Trump.

Former British spy Christopher Steele, who wrote the original dossier the story was based on. Picture: AFP
Former British spy Christopher Steele, who wrote the original dossier the story was based on. Picture: AFP

“This is about Four Corners and Fox News, greyhound racing, the Don Dale Detention Centre, the live export of cattle, the litany is just never-ending. They should be made to issue a correction.”

The calls come as ABC chair Ita Buttrose accused the Morrison government of “political interference” and attempting to “intimidate” the broadcaster via a Senate inquiry into the ABC’s complaints handling process.

However, a spokesperson for the ABC said it was “false” to claim Four Corners relied heavily on the Steele Dossier, saying of the document that its “allegations were dealt with ­judiciously and tested.”

The ABC pointed to former CIA Moscow station chief Dan Hoffmann who suggested to Four Corners that Mr Steele was being used by the Russians to feed “disinformation” about Mr Trump into the political process.

But while Mr Hoffmann did provide viewers with a sceptical view of the dossier, Mr Steele was credulously described as “an MI6 agent in Moscow in the 1990s (who) as a private investigator had worked on Russian cases for decades.”

“In mid-2016, Steele’s sources had provided shocking answers to the question about Trump’s links to Russia … The former spy had gathered raw ­intelligence into a dossier about members of the Trump campaign and their links to Russia,” she said.

Many of the sources Four Corners featured also appeared to accept many of its allegations including that Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort was a potential conduit for Russian influence.

ABC Chair Ita Buttrose. Picture: Richard Dobson
ABC Chair Ita Buttrose. Picture: Richard Dobson

In one episode, author Michael Isikoff said the idea of Mr Manafort as a conduit was “not implausible given the work that Manafort had been doing for years for the pro-Russian political party in Ukraine and its leader Yanukovych.”

In another, Mr Isikoff again appeared to back the dossier saying: “I reached a source in the US government who was aware of the particular allegations in the Steele dossier about (Trump adviser) Carter Page and ­confirmed to me that the FBI was indeed taking this seriously, was indeed investigating.”

The controversy has led many to question whether the ABC’s inner city “bubble” means that it is out of touch with mainstream opinion. Polling by the Institute of Public Affairs found 33 per cent of Australians believed the ABC was too focused on inner city issues, with 26 per cent disagreeing.

Originally published as ABC refuses to correct record on dodgy Trump-Russia dossier story

Read related topics:Donald Trump

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Original URL: https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/nsw/abc-refuses-to-correct-record-on-dodgy-trumprussia-dossier-story/news-story/cf829c0840e0bea429368b04be9cefc7