By Calum Jaspan
Audio of extra gunshots was not added deliberately into three ABC reports on the Australian Army’s 2nd Commando Regiment in 2022, an independent interim report found on Tuesday morning.
The interim “Line of Fire” review, led by former ABC executive Alan Sunderland, was tabled in Canberra ahead of the public broadcaster’s appearance in front of a Senate estimates committee.
Former ABC editorial director Alan Sunderland now advises and writes on journalism ethics issues.
It found there was no evidence to support the claim the ABC deliberately doctored, falsified, manipulated or distorted information, material or evidence to mislead audiences in the footage that ran in two broadcast stories on 7.30 and one online story about a 2012 deployment.
“To be clear, I find no evidence that anybody, at any stage, made a conscious or deliberate decision to introduce additional gunshots. It appears to be an inadvertent consequence of attempts to create clean, accurate and effective sequences in the story (...),” Sunderland said.
ABC news director Justin Stevens said the broadcaster stands by its investigations into the alleged conduct of Australian soldiers despite issuing two apologies following its publication.
Stevens said while deeply regrettable, the editing errors did not weaken the value of the ABC’s reporting over many years on the crucial issues of Australian soldiers overseas.
“When errors occur, we correct them and strive to ensure they are not repeated,” Stevens said. “In addition to Mr Sunderland’s recommendations, I will be looking into any further actions we may need to take to ensure this does not happen again.”
The review was commissioned by ABC managing director David Anderson last month after an episode of Seven’s Spotlight aired footage from an ABC report showing audio of gunfire had been added over existing footage.
ABC news director Justin Stevens at the estimates hearing at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
While the reports did not name any individual, former Commando Heston Russell, who was part of the 2nd regiment, previously successfully sued the ABC for defamation after it alleged he was involved in the unlawful killing of an Afghan soldier and was awarded $390,000 in damages last year.
The report, tabled on Tuesday, also looked into why concerns about the footage were not passed on by the ABC’s legal department in 2022, and the editing of an interview with former US Drug Enforcement Administration leader Bret Hamilton in one of the stories. Details on the former issue were not included in the interim report.
Stevens appeared in Canberra on Tuesday alongside other ABC executives, repeating the ABC’s apology for the error while steadfastly supporting the broadcaster’s reporting.
The “Line of Fire” report dominated questioning at Senate estimates, as Stevens criticised some media outlets for accusing ABC journalists of misconduct.
“The great shame from all of this is that for weeks various outlets have accused journalists of the highest integrity of doctoring material, which is one of the most offensive and damaging allegations one can make against a journalist because the meaning of doctoring is to deceitfully change something intentionally,” he said.
“[The] review shows independently that our team and journalists and executives at all levels did not doctor any material.”
Anderson is on medical leave and missed Senate estimates for only the second time in his six years as ABC boss, with chief financial officer Melanie Kleyn appearing in his place. ABC chair Kim Williams notified the Senate committee of Anderson’s absence last week.
Former commando Heston Russell sued the ABC for defamation.Credit: Kate Geraghty
Stevens said the ABC sincerely regretted the errors and apologised for the footage, including to members of the 2nd Commando Regiment. The video has been removed.
He also apologised to Hamilton on behalf of the ABC after the report found his final remarks in an interview about war crimes were not in proper context and “therefore did not accurately represent him as talking about allegations of war crimes in general rather than referring to any specific allegations”.
The “Line of Fire” review said the errors did not misleadingly alter the central focus of the reporting – the behaviour of Australian troops in an overseas conflict – which remains of public interest.
“Although no individuals were identified in the stories themselves, the issues raised ... were significant and important,” it said.
Sunderland has made five recommendations, including that ABC’s editorial policies, guidance and training should be reviewed, particularly for its investigative teams. He also recommended editing practices be reviewed to ensure regular, timely and detailed face-to-face contact between editors, reporters and researchers during the editing process, and that equal scrutiny be applied to all elements of multi-platform stories.
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