An investigation by the ABC Ombudsman’s Office found the ABC program Four Corners did not violate ABC Editorial Policies regarding a complaint from the Council of the Australian War Memorial. The Council had suggested the program wrongly showed ongoing construction work disrupting a commemorative event, including inserting building sounds into a Last Post ceremony segment.
The core of the Council’s complaint centred on how the program presented scenes featuring construction near the Memorial. They claimed the editing made it seem as though construction noise interfered with a Last Post ceremony.
However, the Ombudsman’s examination concluded that “the episode did not suggest that construction noise from the development site had disrupted a Last Post ceremony.”
The Ombudsman’s report explained, “We think that Four Corners is correct that no reasonable viewer would interpret this series of scenes as a continuous sequence.” The report added that even if someone initially thought the Last Post audio in the first couple of scenes was live from the ceremony, they would then understand it was used as background sound for later, separate but related scenes.
The ABC also addressed related reporting from News Corporation concerning the complaint. The ABC stated it was “regrettable that News Corporation in its reporting of the Council’s complaint has attempted to link this editorial issue with the Anzac Day coverage the ABC provides for Australians each year across our platforms.” Anzac Day remains a major event for the ABC, with live broadcasts of the Dawn Service from the Australian War Memorial, along with other services, marches, and events around the country. The ABC expressed pride in its part in this national event. The ABC has maintained its support for the reporting done by Mark Willacy and the Four Corners production team.
