ABC Removes More Episodes by Sacked Reporter Fazal Over Interviewee Concerns

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has taken further action by withdrawing two additional episodes reported by former Four Corners reporter Mahmood Fazal. This decision stems from ongoing concerns regarding the verification of anonymous interviewees featured in his work.

Fazal's employment with the ABC was terminated in May after an internal investigation into his participation in a podcast alongside a former underworld figure. Since his dismissal, two episodes he reported for Four Corners, titled 'Cocaine Nation' and 'Meth Highway,' have been removed due to accuracy concerns. Additionally, a Background Briefing audio program, 'Remy was 12 when she became a drug dealer,' was also taken down later in July.

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The review found that in each of these cases ABC verification policies concerning the use of anonymous interviewees were not followed to a level that meets our editorial standards.

In a statement, the ABC explained that a review of anonymous interviewees across all of Fazal's stories identified issues with three more programs. "The review found that in each of these cases ABC verification policies concerning the use of anonymous interviewees were not followed to a level that meets our editorial standards," the statement read. Consequently, two stories, 'Silent Orders' and 'Meet the teens at the frontline of organised crime,' have been removed from ABC platforms.

Furthermore, a segment Fazal contributed to 'The Postcode Wars' episode has been edited out. The ABC emphasized its commitment to high journalistic standards, stating that maintaining public trust depends on upholding these principles. Fazal, a former member of the Mongols bikie club, had become an award-winning journalist specializing in crime and terrorism reporting. He expressed shock at the ABC's decisions, viewing them as a "worrying precedent" for the organization's commitment to public-interest journalism.

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I believe the process ABC is following and its decisions so far set a worrying precedent for the organisation's independent [sic] and commitment to public-interest journalism.