Fired-up journo Caro Meldrum-Hanna ‘likes’ criticism of ABC management

ABC journalist Caro Meldrum-Hanna ‘liked’ a tweet criticising the public broadcaster’s management just hours after the independent review into her controversial Exposed series was made public.

ABC journalist Caro Meldrum-Hanna in a scene from her documentary, Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire.

ABC journalist Caro Meldrum-Hanna “liked” a tweet criticising the public broadcaster’s management just hours after the independent review into her controversial Exposed series was made public.

The social media post she liked read: “There’s something/one rotten up the top of the ABC chain. Keep finding a way to do what you do Caro. The series was brilliant.”

Staff at the ABC have been repeatedly warned by managing director David Anderson about their behaviour on social media; new guidelines were issued to all employees last month governing their use of online platforms.

The updated guidelines stated employees should “not mix the professional and the personal in ways likely to bring the ABC into disrepute”. Staff were also warned about the “picture painted by likes, shares, hashtags and who is followed”.

After the editorial shortcomings of Exposed were highlighted by the ABC’s Media Watch on Monday night, Meldrum-Hanna launched into a social media tirade, posting dozens of tweets in which she defended her reporting and referenced other media outlets’ historic coverage of corruption allegations against Neville Wran. “I’m looking forward to an avalanche of complaints about all the previous coverage by all other media outlets who reported the exact same allegation & Paul Egge’s evidence (but without contemporary interviews with him or other relevant police and judicial witnesses),” read one.

The Australian asked the ABC about Meldrum-Hanna’s recent social media activity but a spokesman declined to comment. Meldrum-Hanna also declined to comment.

Four Corners executive producer Sally Neighbour came under intense scrutiny after she liked a number of posts on Twitter that mocked Christian Porter just hours after the former attorney-general settled his defamation matter with the broadcaster in May.

This included a tweet of a doctored online image of Mr Porter without any limbs.

The ABC last month said the Neighbour matter remained under investigation but said the outcome “will remain confidential”.

WA Liberal senator Ben Small said the ABC’s defiant response to the independent report into the series revealed the broadcaster’s “tin ear”.