‘Serious concerns’: NT Government lodges complaint over ABC Four Corners filming in Top End

The NT government has sent a letter of complaint over allegations Four Corners crew breached ethical journalism standards and jeopardised community safety while filming in the Top End.

The NT Government sent a letter of complaint to the ABC chief regarding allegations Four Corners crew had breached ethical journalism standards. Picture: ABC

The Northern Territory government has complained to the ABC chief over allegations Four Corners crew were breaching ethical journalism standards and jeopardising community safety while filming in the Top End, according to a series of letters seen by this publication.

ABC labelled the claims “offensive, unsubstantiated and defamatory”, saying offers to talk directly with government representatives about their concerns had been ignored.

Part of the government’s October 12 letter detailed allegations that crew from the public broadcaster’s flagship investigative program had provided “pizza for comment” to longrassers at a local shopping centre, leading to increased loitering, tensions and assaults on security workers.

In a reply sent October 20, ABC news director Justin Stevens remained adamant that no one interviewed was given pizza, while admitting “the team shared some pizzas with people who were already present and had been waiting for some time for us to finish filming”.

Four Corners was in Darwin shooting material for an upcoming episode on crime rates, anti-social behaviour, and the use of private security services by the NT government and NT Police.

Four Corners were filming an episode on crime and the use of private security services by the NT Government and NT Police. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Complaints against Four Corners behaviour in the Territory were first aired publicly on Mix 104.9, with Police Minister Kate Worden saying she understood “they are alleged to be creating hostile and aggressive situations and they’re creating those”.

In response, the ABC sent a letter to the government on October 5 strongly denying the allegations and saying “no one was in any way incentivised to do an interview with pizza”. That initial statement from the ABC did not mention any pizza being shared with locals.

The government’s two-page letter of complaint, sent to ABC managing director David Anderson, said the practices allegedly employed in the Four Corners investigation had raised “multiple serious concerns” and appeared “to be biased toward sensationalising a narrative that does not fairly reflect Territorians”.

“The reports of allegedly unprofessional behaviour that have come to my attention come from a variety of sources, are numerous, and consistent,” the letter said.

“The actions of ABC Four Corners staff raise concerns about adherence to (the Australian Journalists Code of Ethics), especially in terms of their treatment of subjects, the accuracy and balance of their reporting, and the perceived exploitation of vulnerable individuals and communities.

“The safety and wellbeing of our community, as well as the effectiveness of our security services and police officers, have been jeopardised by ABC Four Corners’ investigative approach in this instance.”

One of the complaints, based on security patrol reports, was that Four Corners’ presence at the local shops and the incentive of pizza had led to “increased loitering, intoxication, domestic violence, weapons and assaults on workers in and around the same shopping centre”.

ABC News Director Justin Stevens said no one was incentivised to do an interview with pizza. Source: Twitter.

The ABC hit back, saying it was “an extraordinary assertion, which we completely reject”.

“It effectively blames a journalism team for being responsible for domestic violence and assault. It is offensive, unsubstantiated and defamatory,” a spokeswoman said.

She said, mirroring Mr Steven’s letter, that it was “offensive to the local Indigenous community to imply they could be bribed by a slice of pizza”.

“No one was in any way ‘incentivised’ to do an interview with pizza,” she said.

“The claims this normal, considerate act ‘brought large numbers of people to the area’ and precipitated disturbances and crime is offensive, unsubstantiated and defamatory.”

The spokeswoman said the Four Corners team had made numerous requests for interviews and right of reply to multiple government departments and agencies with no response.

“If the NT government has concerns about the issue being reported on it has been afforded every opportunity to put its views and contribute to the reporting,” she said.

“We have also offered to talk to representatives of the NT government to discuss their concerns directly. They have not responded.”