ABC Ombudsman: Two Four Corners episodes breached editorial standards; guidance on harm updated

# What happened The ABC Ombudsman, Fiona Cameron, concluded that two Four Corners episodes did not meet the ABC's editorial standards. The programs identified are "Cocaine Nation" (broadcast 22 May 2023) and "Meth Highway" (broadcast 22 April 2024). The central issue was the use of anonymous or confidential sources in ways that left audiences with a misleading sense of who contributors were and how much confidence could be placed in their claims.

# Why the episodes failed editorial standards The Ombudsman's report found problems in three areas: accuracy, fair and honest dealing, and independence. Audiences were not given enough contextual information about anonymous contributors, and the arrangements for anonymity did not match the level of verification expected under ABC standards.

The reporter linked to the episodes, Mahmood Fazal, was dismissed by the ABC in May (the report notes he launched an unfair dismissal claim in the Fair Work Commission and reportedly is no longer pursuing it).

# Ombudsman recommendations (concrete actions) The Ombudsman made seven specific recommendations. The ABC has accepted them and started putting them into effect. The recommendations are:

• Conduct a comprehensive investigation into both programs and their use of anonymous and confidential sources, looking beyond the narrow issues the Ombudsman examined.
• Post a correction on the ABC's Corrections & Clarifications page acknowledging that aspects of the programs were materially misleading.
• Review and amend editorial standard 5.9 and the associated guidance on Attribution/Anonymity of Sources to: identify the senior officer who must approve anonymity, state the verification expected when granting anonymity, and set out the contextual information audiences should be given about anonymous sources.
• Provide the Four Corners team with additional training about balancing legal risk against editorial risk, including guidance that legal concerns do not remove obligations for accuracy and verification when relying on anonymous sources.
• Set clear expectations about fact-checking and upward referral for Four Corners staff.
• Ensure less experienced Four Corners reporters and story teams receive adequate managerial support, especially for high-risk programs.

# ABC response and current status

# Related editorial guidance review: Harm and Offence Separately, the ABC completed a review of its guidance on content that may cause harm or offence after pushback and legal threats over a Race Around the World episode. That episode involved filmmaker Kate McGuinness making violent remarks and descriptions directed at billionaire Gina Rinehart.

The revised guidance makes two practical changes:

• It reaffirms community standards on depictions and descriptions of violence.
• It draws a clearer distinction between how those standards should be applied in news programming versus non-news programming.

# What this means for Four Corners and ABC journalism Expect clearer rules on when and how anonymity can be granted, stronger internal sign-offs for risky material, more legal-editorial training for investigative teams, and tighter managerial oversight for junior reporters involved in high-risk investigations. The ABC has begun implementing these changes after the Ombudsman's findings.