Controversial Four Corners episode on PM’s alleged links to QAnon to air on Monday

The Four Corners episode about a man’s association with QAnon – and his alleged links with the PM – will air on Monday.

ABC Managing Director David Anderson. Picture: AAP

The much-hyped Four Corners episode about an Australian man’s association with the far-right conspiracy group QAnon – and his alleged links with Prime Minister Scott Morrison – will air on the ABC on Monday night, just days after the boss of the national broadcaster said the story was “not ready”.

The episode has been the subject of fierce debate since it was revealed last week that the ABC’s managing director David Anderson – after reviewing a draft of the program – had ruled that it did not meet the editorial standards of the national broadcaster.

Sally Neighbour, executive producer of ABC program Four Corners.

Mr Anderson found that the episode needed further work before it was “ready” to publish.

On Friday, the executive producer of Four Corners, Sally Neighbour, posted a promotional clip for the episode on Twitter.

The 30-second clip includes an excerpt from a recent press conference at Parliament House, during which Mr Morrison was asked about his links to anyone involved with QAnon.

“I find it deeply offensive … any suggestion that I would have any involvement or support for such a dangerous organisation,” the prime minister said.

QAnon is a discredited US far-right conspiracy theory alleging that a cabal of Satanic, cannibalistic paedophiles, with links to the US Democratic Party, is running a global child sex-trafficking ring.

In a note to staff a week ago, Mr Anderson said:

“On Wednesday, I was provided with a link to a ‘rough cut’ of a Four Corners story about the ­influence of QAnon conspiracy theories in Australian domestic politics which had been endorsed by (ABC) news management.

“Any suggestion that I ‘pulled’ or ‘blocked’ the program is simply not true. I reviewed the material and made an editorial decision it was not yet ready for broadcast, as any responsible editor-in-chief would.

“My exact words were: ‘Please take on board the feedback and keep going. There is nothing in the program that I can see is time-sensitive. I would like a written ­response next week addressing the feedback.’ I know the team have worked on it for a while now, but frankly I would prefer we took our time to make it as strong as possible.”

The episode, ‘The Great Awakening: A Family Divided by QAnon’, will air at 8.30pm on Monday.