Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Four Corners’ probe was “deeply offensive”Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
“I find it deeply offensive that there would be any suggestion that I would have any involvement or support for such a dangerous organisation. I clearly do not,” Mr Morrison said on Friday.
“It is also disappointing that Four Corners,with their inquiries,would seek to cast this aspersion not just against me,but by members of my own family. I just think that is really poor form.”
The Sydney Morning Herald andThe Age reported on Thursday that Mr Andersonknocked back the episode by prominent journalist Louise Milligan that was due to air on Monday. The decision was made amid escalating tensions between the public broadcaster and the government,and just days after Industry Minister Christian Porter dropped defamation action against the ABC and Milligan.
Mr Anderson’s decision has exposed the tensions that exist betweenFour Corners staff,ABC executives and other journalists at the public broadcaster about policies and processes. There are some senior staff members inside the ABC that believeFour Corners considers itself exempt from the standard editorial process,according to people familiar with their thinking who spoke anonymously because they are not authorised to speak publicly.
Four Corners staff have indicated their concerns are not with processes,but the reasons or motivations behind the decision to hold back the episode. But ABC insiders with knowledge of Mr Anderson and ABC News director Gaven Morris’ concerns dispute the idea there were political motivations for their editorial decisions.
A senior staffer for Mr Morrison called Mr Morris on Tuesday for a brief conversation to check whether the QAnon episode was running and discuss the questions that were sent to the Prime Minister’s office. The Prime Minister’s office received questions over a number of weeks fromFour Corners about his ties to Mr Stewart,whose wife was employed at Kirribilli House as recently as last year,but no longer works there.
TheHerald andThe Age are not suggesting there was a conversation between the two parties about pulling the story. The QAnon conspiracy theory centres on discredited claims about an international paedophile ring involving politicians and celebrities. TheGuardian Australia and Crikey have previously reported on the friendship between the Prime Minister’s wife Jenny Morrison and Mr Stewart’s wife Lynelle.