Four Corners episodes breached ABC's editorial standards, ombudsman finds
The ABC's Four Corners program had insufficient verification and fact-checking and a culture of "limiting knowledge" about anonymous sources, its independent ombudsman has found, identifying breaches of editorial standards in two stories by sacked reporter Mahmood Fazal.
The ABC's investigative program Four Corners was found by its independent ombudsman to have breached four editorial standards in episodes involving sacked reporter Mahmood Fazal. The ombudsman's report, released today, detailed seven recommendations for the ABC to improve its standards, particularly in areas of verification, fact-checking and handling of anonymous sources.
Two specific episodes, Cocaine Nation and Meth Highway, were withdrawn by the ABC following their own investigations into the anonymous interviewees. The ombudsman's findings highlighted a pattern of insufficient verification and fact-checking in Fazal's work, as well as a culture of limited knowledge about these sources. Fazal, a former member of the Mongols bikie club, was dismissed by the ABC in May after an earlier investigation into his appearance on a podcast with a former underworld figure.
The ABC maintains its commitment to high journalistic standards and accepts the ombudsman's recommendations.
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