“They’ve literally added extra gunshots.”
It’s the bombshell accusation — that has now forced a bombshell admission.
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7NEWS Spotlight’s report into the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) misreporting of veteran Heston Russell’s time in service has forced the national broadcaster to launch an investigation into its own journalism and delete a video.
“We have removed the online video where an error has been identified, based on preliminary inspection of the audio,” the ABC said in a statement to 7NEWS Spotlight.
“The ABC is seeking more information on how this occurred.”
Russell is a highly decorated officer who led fellow soldiers into battle, campaigned for the establishment of the royal commission, built charities for soldiers and ran for a seat in the Queensland senate.
Several years after his discharge, Russell was targeted by the ABC.
Russell launched a successful defamation case against the national broadcaster, in which a federal court judge found the ABC’s public interest defence was not proven.
The ABC was slammed for causing Russell “serious harm” and ordered to pay him $390,000 in damages.
The national broadcaster alleged Russell was the worst kind of soldier — a war criminal who left a trail of destruction in Afghanistan and was caught up in fraudulent behaviour back home.
At the centre of this smear campaign was a video from a 2012 mission in the Helmand province of Afghanistan, one the ABC has now admitted included an error.
Helmand province in Afghanistan was known to be a Taliban stronghold and a centre for opium production that helped fund the insurgency.
Australian commandos were successfully deployed on numerous special operations to capture intelligence and destroy enemy positions, alongside US soldiers.
Russell was commander of the 2nd Commando Regiment’s November Platoon.
“As per every single mission we go on, you’re given the task, you’re given the purpose — the reason why,” Russell told 7NEWS Spotlight.
“And that was to disrupt or destroy an insurgent network, to destroy or neutralise funding that was helping to fuel terrorism around the world.”
In the footage from 2012, Russell and his team were targeting “two insurgents that had been on a motorbike, driving around shooting at my soldiers”.
Three soldiers were dropped off to follow one person, while the rest of the team followed another as they ran back to their compound.
This video would form part of the smear campaign against Russell.
“A tactic we’d employed to great success was firing a warning shot in the vicinity of someone to make them stop, freeze, put their hands up essentially,” Russell said.
When asked why they would fire a warning shot at someone who had actively been firing on Australian soldiers, Russell said: “The majority of our missions derive their greatest value from capturing insurgents.”
The “insurgent” made it into their compound, where Russell said they could be seen picking up what soldiers believed to be a weapon.
Russell then authorised his soldier to shoot the man.
His soldier fired off six shots, before the helicopter circled the compound to land and locate the man once more.
When he was next sighted, he was not holding a weapon.
“My signaller sees him, sees he’s unarmed and instead of shooting after I’ve already authorised him to fire, (he) actually tells him to stop and get down,” Russell said.
In the footage, shared with 7NEWS SPOTLIGHT in full by Russell, an American soldier also on board reacted to this by throwing his hands up in question.
“Knowing full well that I’ve authorised him to kill him,” Russell said.
“My soldier could have got a kill up, could have got a notch on his belt.
“But instead my soldier made the decision to save a life … knowing we’re going to land and try to go capture this guy.”
A 15-second snippet of this footage would be used to paint a different picture of the day.
ABC’s claimed soldiers were shooting at unarmed civilians in the footage.
“This guy had literally just been on the back of a motorbike, shooting at two of my teams that were on the ground,” Russell said.
The ABC program acknowledged it did not have the footage from immediately before shots were fired, but were “happy to jump to a conclusion from 15 seconds of footage”, Russell said.
In court, the ABC relied on a truth defence and claimed it was Russell shooting the gun himself.
Russell shared the complete unedited helmet footage with 7NEWS Spotlight — and also shared it with the ABC, who continued to make their defamatory claims.
But if this wasn’t enough, videos published online by the ABC went a step further.
Taken from a “highlight reel” created at the end of the platoon’s deployment, the footage of the soldier’s warning shot became something else entirely.
One shot suddenly became six, seemingly using the audio of the six shots Russell later authorised over the top.
“I fell off my chair when I saw this,” Russell said.
Independent Forensic Digital Audio Expert James Raper examined the ABC’s video, taken from their website and YouTube channel.
Both have now been removed.
“They’ve taken the audio from the six shots and they’ve applied it to this video in the news clip,” Raper said.
“And they’ve copied and pasted across this scene.
“It completely misrepresents what those soldiers were going through that day.
“I was surprised …. more than that, I was quite shocked.”
The ABC has defended the work of Jo Puccini, Mark Willacy and Josh Robertson, stating they had no role in the production and editing of the online video.
They are now investigating how the error — five extra shots — were included in the video.
ABC RESPONSE TO EXTRA GUNSHOTS IN ONLINE VIDEO:
We have removed the online video where an error has been identified, based on preliminary inspection of the audio. The ABC is seeking more information on how this occurred.
Jo Puccini, Mark Willacy and Josh Robertson had no role in the production and editing of the online video you have brought to our attention.
The Seven Network promo suggests otherwise.
Any suggestion that they have acted inappropriately or unethically is completely false.
ABC INITIAL STATEMENT:
Given the information that has emerged this year about Spotlight’s conduct and approach to journalism we have no confidence in engaging with your program.
We ask that the program fairly and accurately reports on the judgment of Justice Lee, observes its obligations under the Harman undertaking, and also is responsible in its reporting, so as not to incite violent or abusive behaviour towards ABC staff, noting there have been serious issues in the past.
We have no further comment to make on this court case.
Mark Willacy and Jo Puccini are two of Australia’s most experienced and respected journalists. Throughout their careers they have contributed important and impactful public interest journalism that has been of huge value for Australians.
Among their extensive bodies of work: Jo Puccini oversaw the ABC’s investigations into aged care that led to the Royal Commission. Mark Willacy was awarded a Gold Walkley for his Four Corners investigation that resulted in the first war crimes murder charge being laid in Australia in this country’s history. The ABC holds them both in very high regard.
Watch the full episode of 7NEWS Spotlight on 7plus.