ABC managing director David Anderson admits to editorial failings in Juanita Nielsen series

The ABC’s managing director David Anderson has made significant concessions that staff “should have done more digging” before airing problematic claims in the Juanita Nielsen case.

ABC managing director David Anderson has made a significant concession that staff working on the bungled documentary series into the disappearance of journalist Juanita Nielsen “should have done more digging” before problematic claims went to air.

Questionable material aired in the two-part series in September into Nielsen’s 1975 disappearance and murder but were stripped from the ABC’s streaming platform iview just weeks after a key person, retired lawyer John Innes, who was interviewed in the program had his astonishing claims discredited.

At Senate estimates this week, Mr Anderson admitted the program, Juanita: A Family Mystery, which fell under the ABC’s Entertainment and Specialist division, failed in doing its due diligence before Innes’ claims aired.

Innes claimed he knew who killed Nielsen, where she was killed and how much was paid to kill her.

“Ultimately a decision was made to publish, given all the checks and measures that had happened to that particular point in time, with representations made by one of the people that were interviewed on that program,” Mr Anderson said at estimates.

“There is no doubt that they should have done more digging with regard to one of those participants that was interviewed and the undertakings that they provided as part of that program, there’s no doubt that that should have been better.”

The program was compiled by the ABC in conjunction with production company WildBear Entertainment.

Mr Anderson said as a result of the editorial failings in the series, the ABC has made significant changes to its Entertainment and Specialist division, led by director Michael Carrington.

“We established the position of managing editor to ensure that those checks and balances, measures and the critique through that process is more rigorous than it has been previously as a result specifically with regard to that program,” he said.

The ABC would not answer questions regarding the Juanita Nielsen documentary series.

A note remains on iview that states the two-part series has been “temporarily removed from ABC iview to address concerns about the accuracy of claims made by a source”.

During the “spill over” estimates hearing on Monday Mr Anderson was also quizzed about staff using social media that could bring the ABC into disrepute.

Liberal senator Sarah Henderson read out several problematic examples including one by Sydney-based ABC journalist Isobel Roe, who retweeted a hashtag about Prime Minister Scott Morrison that read, “liarliarshartonfire”, adding her own comment, “guys c’mon”.

Senator Henderson asked Mr Anderson, “does that look to be in compliance with your social media code" and whether it brought the ABC into disrepute.

He responded: “It sounds very much like it Senator but I’ll take a look at it and respond to you on notice”.

The ABC has twice updated its social media policy in 2021 and in August Mr Anderson urged staff to update their accounts so employees did not have any reference to the ABC in their handle name, have a disclaimer that makes it clear posts or likes are their personal view and not the view of the ABC and they abide by updated social media guidelines.

Estimates were also told the defamation action taken by federal Liberal MP Andrew Laming against Four Corners investigative journalist Louise Milligan would ultimately cost the ABC about $200,000 after she falsely accused the Queensland MP of upskirting a woman.

The public broadcaster is still yet to determine if fringe benefits tax applies to the payment but if it does costs to the ABC could nearly double to about $400,000.