ABC staff disquiet over story about the Australian navy torturing asylum seekers

AN ABC staffer has revealed internal doubts over the broadcaster's reporting of claims that Australian navy personnel tortured asylum seekers.

AN ABC staffer has revealed internal doubts over the broadcaster's reporting of claims that Australian navy personnel tortured asylum seekers.

The ABC caused outrage last week by reporting claims from Indonesian police and a Somali asylum seeker that navy personnel punched and burned asylum seekers on board a boat attempting to reach Christmas Island.

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The claims were emphatically dismissed by the government and the immigration department. Now an ABC researcher has revealed the claims are also doubted within the ABC.

The admission came in a Facebook post by ABC national reporting team staffer Alison Branley. "I have been tasked with finding some navy personnel who might be willing to speak to us in a background capacity - not on the record," Branley wrote.

One of the boat people / Picture: ABC

"It follows the story our Jakarta guy ran on the asylum seekers burns claims. My boss feels the allegations are likely to be untrue."

The ABC's "Jakarta guy", George Roberts, wrote last week that images of burned hands "back up the claims of mistreatment made by the asylum seekers" during previous ABC interviews.

Branley's post continued: "Do you know of any people with navy or defence force affiliations who might be able to put us in touch with someone … I wouldn't want to approach anyone who didn't feel comfortable talking."

Initial reactions to the post weren't helpful.

"Jeez, Alison, if your boss had doubts about this, why didn't she seek clarification before running with the story and besmirching the reputation of the whole Australian Navy?" wrote one respondent.