Fri Sep 20 08:15:10 UTC 2024: ## ABC Admits to Ignoring Concerns Over Doctored Audio in Afghanistan War Crimes Report
**Sydney, Australia** – The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has admitted to ignoring a letter raising concerns about doctored audio used in a controversial 7.30 report on alleged Afghan war crimes. The admission comes after the national broadcaster launched an investigation into the use of manipulated audio in the report, which aired in September 2022.
ABC managing director David Anderson confirmed in a statement that ABC Legal received a letter in November 2022 outlining concerns about the audio editing but failed to pass the information on to ABC News.
The report in question showed an eight-second clip of an Australian soldier firing six shots at an Afghan civilian, before looping the same footage with additional audio of shots added on top. The audio was subsequently found to have been manipulated.
Anderson has commissioned an independent review to examine the issues surrounding the online and broadcast story, promising to update the public on the findings at an “appropriate time.” The review will aim to understand how the editing error occurred and why the concerns raised in the letter were not acted upon.
The ABC has removed the full online article and associated video content until further notice.
Former Special Forces Major Heston Russell, who brought a defamation suit against the ABC in 2023, has called for an investigation into the incident, expressing concern over the potential for moral injury to veterans caused by such reporting.
This latest revelation follows a separate report by Sky News that another audio clip in the 7.30 report may have been tampered with.
The ABC faces intense scrutiny over the handling of the report, which has raised questions about journalistic integrity and the potential for harm to veterans. The independent review will be closely watched as it seeks to shed light on the events leading up to the broadcast of the doctored audio and the subsequent lack of response to concerns raised.
First Piper 