ABC backlash grows: interview edited to protect Sarah Ferguson

The Australian has reported the ABC deleted a negative reference to 7.30 host Sarah Ferguson from an interview on Radio National.

Ferguson is currently embroiled in a funding scandal for not disclosing her interest in a film directed by her husband Tony Jones. 

On August 19, opposition communications spokeswoman Sarah Henderson appeared on Sally Sara's radio program and discussed the recent incident with fired Four Corners journalist Mahmood Fazal, over concerns about the accuracy of his sources. 

The conversation then turned to the credibility of the broadcaster in general, including a comments about then situation with respected journalist Ferguson.

Henderson told Sara that the ABC “badly let down the thousands of ‘hardworking journalists who take their craft of journalism very seriously’.”

Henderson added: 

"This has brought the ABC into dispute. How was this man ever engaged?”

“When these allegations about his misconduct first arose, the ABC did nothing. Now, eventually, of course, he was terminated, but there must be other people who knew what was going on.

“What has happened to the standards at the ABC that this sort of scandal could unravel? It is just not good enough and this is why more Australians are losing trust in the ABC.”

 

 

 

 

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Henderson also cited the violent video of Gina Rinehart which the ABC aired earlier this year as another failure in judgement.

“We’ve seen the Gina Rinehart scandal, the fake gunshot scandal involving Heston Russell, where he was falsely accused of being a war criminal.

“We’ve had Sarah Ferguson caught up in a scandal involving her being the EP [executive producer] of a documentary funded by an animal-rights activist, when of course she was the host of the 7.30 program.

“It’s not good enough.”

The Australian reports that the comment about Ferguson was deleted from the audio. 

The outlet said: “The ABC tried telling us the edit was made “based on legal advice”… Should we be surprised given we revealed earlier this year that Ferguson is so powerful – and protected – at the ABC, she dictated key parts of what eventually became managing director and editor-in-chief Hugh Marks’s personal response to criticism of her Four Corners series on Donald Trump?”

Sarah Ferguson and Tony Jones. Image: Instagram

ABC's Sarah Ferguson 'sold' in funding pitch for husband's film

Last week, Mediaweek reported that Ferguson had been used in a funding pitch for a film directed by her husband, Tony Jones.

It was claimed that her national profile and stellar reputation as a multiple-time Walkley award-winning journalist was effectively ‘sold’ in a funding application for husband's film Sentient.

The film, which Jones directed, secured $200,000 in taxpayer funding from Screen Australia.

According to standard ABC policy, employees should obtain prior written approval for external projects, but Ferguson did not declare her interest until two years later, despite being host of the acclaimed 7.30 at the time.