The ABC has found two Four Corners episodes failed to meet its editorial standards, with the programs now removed more than two years after they first aired.
The ABC Board referred Cocaine Nation, broadcast on 22 May 2023, and Meth Highway, which aired on 22 April 2024, to the ABC Ombudsman following concerns about the use and veracity of certain anonymous sources.
Both reports were presented by Mahmood Fazal, who joined Four Corners as a reporter in 2022 and left the ABC in May 2026 following an internal investigation into his appearance on an external podcast.
The Ombudsman found both programs failed to meet the ABC’s editorial standards, with aspects of the programs found to be materially misleading and insufficient information provided about key contributors.
Both episodes were removed from ABC platforms in July, more than three years after Cocaine Nation first aired and more than two years after Meth Highway, with the ABC now confirming they will remain unavailable and publishing a correction.
The broadcaster has also removed associated content, including the Background Briefing episode Remy was 12 when she became a drug dealer, Four Corners episode Silent Orders and an associated Background Briefing episode, while a scene from Post Code Wars was removed and What it’s like to face terrorism charges was edited.
The Ombudsman made seven recommendations covering further training, fact-checking and support for less experienced reporters, with the ABC accepting all of them and confirming they have either been implemented or are underway.
The ABC will also update its editorial guidance around attribution and anonymity, providing greater clarity around editorial oversight and the standards expected when anonymous sources are used.
The findings come amid further scrutiny of Four Corners, with the Australian Communications and Media Authority finding in March that the August 2024 episode Water Grab breached accuracy and impartiality requirements, before finding last week that the March 2025 episode Sacrifice breached impartiality obligations.
The ABC accepted the Water Grab finding but rejected ACMA’s finding on Sacrifice, saying it stands behind the program and the team that produced it, with the Ombudsman’s review separate from those ACMA investigations and focused specifically on the ABC’s own editorial standards.
