A loyal ABC listener has been outraged by what he describes as the “absolute disaster” unfolding at the national broadcaster, as outrage grows over the apparent addition of five extra shots to footage of an Australian soldier shooting Afghan civilians.
Earlier this week, an audio expert claimed that extra shots were added to footage featuring former special forces commando Heston Russell in a 2022 ABC story about alleged war crimes.
Last year, Russell successfully sued the ABC and two investigative journalists for defamation over stories he said gave viewers the false impression he was being investigated for shooting an unarmed prisoner.
“These are the exact images that my legal team provided to ABC and their legal team just before our trial, when on three separate occasions they continued to try to rely on their truth-based defence, saying that it was me shooting from the helicopter,” he told 7News.
‘Two things: First, it’s not me; second, here’s the full context: These were not unarmed civilians. Even after we gave the footage to ABC, the narrative was that I was shooting at unarmed civilians.’
The broadcaster said it has “removed the online video in which an error has been identified, based on a preliminary inspection of the audio.”
In a letter published in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph on Friday, Bruce McAlpine from Gosford on the New South Wales central coast criticised the ABC for the error.
“What I find appalling about the absolute disaster that the ABC’s investigative journalists have wrought on the ABC is their disregard for colleagues who will also be tarnished by the allegations.”
Mr McAlpine continued: ‘I am an ABC Radio listener and I tune in wherever I am and at any time.
In October 2023, former special forces commando Heston Russell (pictured) won his libel case against the ABC after a Federal Court judge ruled he could not prove the articles he published were reported in the public interest.
The original helmet camera video of the 2012 incident in Afghanistan shows a single warning shot about to be fired from a military helicopter, but in ABC’s version, five additional shots are heard.
‘Local ABC radio is an important part of many people’s lives and in many cases their only source of information on local and national issues.
‘Late night listeners are brought together and comforted by the hosts through answers and quizzes.
‘People tell their stories and listen to each other, building relationships without ever having direct contact. They learn and teach each other guided by the ABC presenter.
‘ABC local radio presenters are part of their local community and are generally held in high regard; they attend functions, parties, sporting events, fundraisers… the list is endless. They are independent and considerate.
‘This is what the ABC should be, not a group of people who believe they have a greater cause driven by their inflated ego and distorted view of why the ABC exists.
“Not people who are willing to ruin other people’s lives.”
A loyal ABC listener has been outraged by what he describes as an “absolute disaster” unfolding at Australia’s national broadcaster.
In light of the scandal surrounding the edited vision, former ABC chairman Maurice Newman has lashed out at the national broadcaster.
Mr Newman, 86, chaired the ABC for five years until 2012 and said the ABC had become a “self-serving collective”.
Mr Newman said the “latest revelation” of doctored audio in an ABC report vindicates what he has been saying for “a long time”.
“The ABC is a selfish collective that does not allow the truth to be an obstacle to a good story,” said the former president. Herald of the Sun.
‘It has become the shameless megaphone of the left and operates in defiance of its law, its statutes, its editorial policies and the interests of a cohesive society.’
Veteran broadcaster Neil Mitchell has joined a chorus of voices demanding the ABC justify its apparent lack of journalistic standards.
“These allegations that ABC manipulated a video about Afghanistan are deeply disturbing. If true, heads should roll,” Mitchell tweeted Monday.
‘ABC is accused of superimposing gunshots on the image to make it more dramatic. If that had happened, it would be a huge breach of trust and ethics.
“They need to respond to this quickly.”
The ABC told Channel Seven’s Spotlight it was “seeking further information about how this happened”.
“(ABC investigations editor) Jo Puccini, Mark Willacy and Josh Robertson had no role in the production and editing of the online video you have brought to our attention,” he said in a statement.
“Any suggestion that they have acted inappropriately or unethically is completely false.”
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