‘Megaphone of the left’: Backlash against ABC fake news

The ABC is under fire over ‘fake’ gunshots added to a story about serious war crime allegations by Australian soldiers, as a former chairman of the national broadcaster accuses it of being a ‘self-serving collective’.

A former ABC chairman has accused the national broadcaster of becoming “the shameless megaphone of the left” following claims the sound of five gunshots was added to a story about serious war crimes allegations by Australian soldiers.

An investigation by Channel 7’s Spotlight revealed on Sunday the alarming audio issue from the online video version of a story published on the ABC website in 2022.

The public broadcaster has since removed the online video and launched an investigation into how the “error” occurred.

Independent forensic digital audio expert James Raper told Channel 7 the modified audio made it appear that six shots were fired from a helicopter at an Afghan man on the ground, rather than just a single warning shot.

“It completely misrepresents what those soldiers were going through that day,” Mr Raper said.

Maurice Newman, who chaired the ABC from 2007 to 2012, described the revelation as ‘shocking’.

Heston Russell successfully sued the ABC for defamation.

“What the latest revelation confirms is what many have been saying for a very long time,” Mr Newman said.

“The ABC is a self-serving collective, which doesn’t let the truth stand in the way of a good story.

“(It) has become the shameless megaphone of the Left and operates in defiance of its act, its charter, its editorial policies and the interests of a cohesive society.”

Questions were put to the ABC and its chairman Kim Williams, who yesterday supplied the same statement it gave to Spotlight.

“We have removed the online video where an error has been identified, based on preliminary inspection of the audio. The ABC is seeking more information on how this occurred,” the statement said.

It said journalists Jo Puccini, Mark Willacy and Josh Robertson “had no role in the production and editing of the online video. Any suggestion that they have acted inappropriately or unethically is completely false.”

Stu McCarthy, a former army officer who served in the military for almost 30 years, including deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, called for serious consequences for the mistake.

“I watched those stories when they first aired several years ago. I immediately called them out as junk - it was clear they were junk stories back then. Based on what I saw on Channel 7 last night they were worse than junk - they were grotesque fabrications” Mr McCarthy told The Daily Telegraph.

Several other war crimes reports by the ABC had to be pulled down at the end of last year, after it was successfully sued by retired Special Forces Commander Heston Russell, who was defamed in a series of reports and awarded $400,000 in damages.

Mr Russell, who was the subject of Sunday night’s Spotlight program, has now written to Mr Williams.

Former ABC chairman Maurice Newman says the ABC is a ‘self-serving collective’. Picture: Hollie Adams/The Australian

“I would like to please meet with you to discuss a way forward to resolve these issues and achieve accountability without having to waste more Australian taxpayer dollars in the court,” Mr Russell wrote.

A spokesperson for Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said Australians expect high editorial standards from the ABC, as well as “transparency and accountability.”

“But as with any media organisation, the ABC doesn’t always get it right. The ABC is committed to continuous improvement including through its complaints handling processes,” the spokesperson said.

Shadow Communications Minister David Coleman said the report by Channel 7 was “concerning” and called for the ABC to “provide a clear, public explanation on what has occurred here.”

Sarah Henderson, the Opposition’s spokesperson for Education and a former journalist with the ABC, has been pursuing the public broadcaster for years in Senate estimates over issues of transparency.

“The ABC has very serious questions to answer,” Ms Henderson said.

“There is something very rotten at the ABC which allows such shockingly false allegations to see the light of day. There must be a full investigation into this matter including claims a video was doctored.”

She said the case involving Mr Russell “has cost the taxpayer $3.5 million and it is no wonder so many Australians are losing faith in our national broadcaster.”

The controversy is the latest to embroil the ABC.

Sarah Henderson, the Opposition’s spokeswoman for Education, said “The ABC has a very serious questions to answer.” Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

In March, the public broadcaster apologised to businessman Dick Smith after incorrectly representing his views on renewable energy and the transition to Net Zero.

Last year, after initially denying the claim, the ABC was forced to admit it had communicated with protesters before turning up at the Perth home of Woodside Petroleum CEO Meg O’Neil.

They also had to re-edit a radio report after it provided an “incomplete picture” of a town hall meeting in Alice Springs, including claims of “white supremacists” at the event.

Taxpayers also forked out legal fees for social media posts made by reporter Louise Milligan about former federal MP Andrew Laming.

The flagship Four Corners program also came under scrutiny in 2021 for linking former Premier Neville Wran to the Luna Park Ghost Train fire, with the episode including a claim that the crime went “right to the top.”