By Zoe Samios
ABC management has knocked back an upcoming Four Corners episode by prominent journalist Louise Milligan about the relationship between Prime Minister Scott Morrison and a supporter of the QAnon conspiracy theory, a decision that could be seen as an attempt to dampen tensions between the national broadcaster and the federal government.
Four Corners staff were expecting the episode to run this Monday following weeks of delays, but staff were informed on Thursday it would not go to air following a decision by managing director David Anderson. The decision comes just days after Industry Minister Christian Porter decided to drop defamation action against the ABC and Milligan over the reporting of a historical rape allegation.
A Four Corners episode about Prime Minister Scott Morrison will not go to air this Monday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
ABC sources told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age the episode was blocked after news director Gaven Morris “upwardly referred” it to Mr Anderson for final approval. The sources said the story was originally set to run in May and had been approved by the corporation’s legal department and its head of investigations, John Lyons. Questions about the episode were put to the Prime Minister’s office earlier in the week.
The QAnon conspiracy theory centres on discredited claims about an international paedophile ring involving politicians and celebrities. The Guardian reported in 2019 that a family friend of the Prime Minister is a key follower of the movement. The Age and the Herald have not seen any evidence of a relationship between Mr Morrison and a QAnon supporter and does not suggest that one exists.
An ABC spokesperson said the public broadcaster does not comment on upcoming Four Corners episodes.
“The ABC did not ‘pull’ a story from broadcast. Any suggestion to the contrary is misleading and mischievous,” the spokesperson said. “All ABC content is subject to the same rigorous editorial decision-making processes before being published. The decision to publish is only made once all requirements, including editorial and legal requirements, have been met and it is appropriate to do so.”
The episode could still air at some point in the future.
The ABC sources, who spoke anonymously because they were not authorised to comment publicly on the matter, said the decision was made days after Mr Morris received a call from the Prime Minister’s office. The call was about a range of matters including Four Corners’ episode about Mr Porter and the upcoming episode about Mr Morrison, the sources said. A spokesman for the Prime Minister declined to comment.
Another ABC source said the Four Corners team had asked political editor Andrew Probyn to question the Prime Minister on its QAnon story at his press conference in Canberra on Thursday. When contacted, Probyn declined to comment. At the press conference, he did not ask about QAnon, but instead about the Victorian lockdown.
ABC sources said there were growing tensions inside the organisation about an activist approach by Four Corners to certain stories and reluctance to be subject to standard editorial direction.
Mr Anderson’s decision has occurred during a tumultuous week for the ABC. Mr Porter dropped his defamation action against the ABC on Monday. But the settlement deal was followed by an exchange of barbs between the parties as they disputed the details. Mr Porter strenuously denies the allegations.
Mr Anderson, who is also editor-in-chief of the ABC, is expected to appear before a parliamentary committee next week to face questions about the settlement of the defamation case.
The case has sparked a fresh wave of ABC criticism from a range of Coalition figures, including former Victorian Liberal Party president Michael Kroger, who said ABC bias was out of control.
Board director Joseph Gersh said earlier today editorial decisions were made by the editor-in-chief, and editorial staff.
“The ABC has to be frank and fearless in what it does, in holding those in power to account and it has to do so consistently with its charter and editorial policies, and the board can’t interfere,” Mr Gersh said. “Would I prefer a world in which these allegations were never made? Yes. But that’s not my choice. And nor is it my role as a board member to stop the ABC acting professionally in the pursuit of its obligations to the public.”
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