Sky News captions
Media Watch: On 2 October Media Watch broadcast a story about Michael Pezzullo. As a way of highlighting the frustration experienced by people who rely on auto-generated captions when watching video content, the story featured several examples of Mr Pezzullo's name being miscaptioned in videos published on the Sky News Australia website. The same errors did not occur in the broadcast versions of the equivalent Sky News Australia content.
Detention centre footage
News: On 9 November TV News at 7pm, a story was broadcast about a High Court ruling set to end indefinite detention for some asylum seekers. Due to a production error, incorrect footage was inadvertently included of a high school rather than a detention centre. ABC News apologises for the error.
Al Shifa hospital footage
News: On 15 November TV News at 7pm, the News Channel and The World broadcast a story about Israeli military operations at al Shifa hospital in Gaza. Due to a production error, incorrect footage was inadvertently included of a hospital incident in Egypt ten years prior. ABC News apologises for the error.
SunPork Fresh Foods
News: On 9 November 2023, ABC News published an online article reporting that the Australian Council of Trade Unions had commissioned an inquiry into price gouging by banks, insurance companies, supermarkets and energy providers which heard from residents in Cape York that they were paying nearly $100 for a leg of ham. The online article included a picture of a SunPork Fresh Food half leg of ham.
The Article did not say, and the ABC did not intend to convey by including that picture, that SunPork had engaged in price gouging or any other improper behaviour. If any reader understood otherwise, the ABC unreservedly withdraws such an inference.
Don Pratt Correction
News: A report of proceedings in Mt Gambier Magistrate’s Court published on ABC News Online and broadcast on ABC radio on October 31st and November 1st incorrectly identified the accused Donald Jeffrey Pratt, 51 of Mt Gambier, as the owner of the Confession café in Mount Gambier. Mr Pratt is a worker at the café. The story also incorrectly described Mr Pratt’s charges. Mr Pratt’s proceeding in fact related to a charge of communicating to make a child amenable to sexual activity. The ABC apologises for these errors.
White echidna
News: On the 7pm News on 25 October, a white echidna was referred to as a marsupial. Echidnas are in fact monotremes, not marsupials.
1967 Referendum (2)
News: On the 7pm News in NSW on October 12 it was stated that the 1967 Referendum granted Indigenous Australians the right to vote. That is not correct, the referendum approved a change to constitution to omit ‘words relating to the people of the Aboriginal race in any state and so that Aboriginals are to be counted in reckoning the population'.
Goals scored for Australia in soccer
News: ABC TV News: On 4 October, a television news report contained an error, stating that Tim Cahill is the all-time top goal-scorer for Australia. This is incorrect, as the top goal scorer is Samantha Kerr
Same sex marriage postal survey
News: An online story published on 25 September has been updated to change a reference to the same-sex marriage plebiscite to a postal survey.
Taipan grounding
ABC TV News: On 29 September, a television news report about the permanent grounding of the Defence Force’s Taipan helicopter fleet contained an error, in referring to a fatal crash in the Whitsundays in January. The crash happened in July.
Tasmania and Queensland regional populations
News: On September 19 ABC TV News broadcast a story in which the reporter stated that Queensland is "the only Australian state where more people live outside the capital city". That is also true of Tasmania where less than half the population live in Hobart.
Voice debate in Question Time
News Channel: On 12 September, a live cross on the ABC News channel stated Opposition Leader Peter Dutton sought to suspend standing orders in the House of Representatives following an answer from the Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney. This is incorrect. The Opposition Leader asked a question following an answer from the Minister, which then led to points of order being raised.
Laptops and airport security
News: An online story published on 17 July on airport security said X-ray backscatter technology is widely used in US airports, when in fact it is no longer used. This has been corrected. An incorrect reference to CT scans has also been removed.
Mammograms for breast cancer
News: An online story published on 19 August on eligibility for free mammograms has been edited to make clear that the free screening program available to Australians aged over 40 only applies to those without symptoms of breast cancer.
Flora and Fauna myth
The Drum: On August 14 the program included a news clip of Adam Goodes stating that stated Indigenous people were once governed by the flora and fauna act. This is inaccurate – Indigenous people in Australia have never been covered by a flora and fauna act.
1967 Referendum and Indigenous servicemen
Newsradio, News Breakfast and Online News: A story on August 17 about First Nations men who served during the Vietnam War being added to the Australian War Memorial's official history included a line that incorrectly stated Indigenous men were exempt from army conscription in 1973 because Aboriginal people were governed by the flora and fauna act. This is inaccurate – Indigenous people in Australia have never been covered by a flora and fauna act. The 1967 referendum changed the Constitution to allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to be counted as part of the population and the Commonwealth to make laws for them.
Electric Vehicles
RN: In the August 7 episode of Counterpoint, the presenter referred to a video featuring two electric vehicles in an explosive collision. That video has subsequently proved to be fake and experts confirm that while lithium batteries do release heat when compromised there is no evidence that they could explode in this fashion.
Voice AI Videos
Insiders: On the program broadcast on Sunday, August 6, panellist John Paul Janke described the use of AI generated videos by some opponents of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament. The ABC wishes to clarify that the campaign coordinated by Warren Mundine and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price - Australians for Unity, is not affiliated with the videos being referred to.
Northern Land Council
News Online: On 4 August an article about the Garma Festival stated that Djawa Yunupiŋu was expected to be announced as the new chairman of the Northern Land Council. This statement was incorrect and has been removed.
HMAS Canberra
News: On 22 July 2023 ABC News reported that the HMAS Canberra was sunk by Japanese forces in June 1942. In fact, the ship was scuttled by an American torpedo after being severely damaged by Japanese attacks.
Mortgage Cliff
ABC TV News: On 11 July mortgage repayments were incorrectly described as ‘doubling or tripling’ overnight. While interest payments have tripled, principal and interest mortgage repayments have only doubled.
APOLOGY TO TRENTON AKERS
On 23 May, ABC News Brisbane’s 7pm bulletin included a story about racing identity Ben Currie that mistakenly used footage of a Mr Trenton Akers. The ABC accepts that Mr Akers has absolutely no involvement with Mr Currie or with the matter reported on in that story; he was merely present at the venue in his capacity as a racing journalist. The ABC sincerely apologises to Mr Akers for any hurt or distress caused by this error.
Crown AUSTRAC fine
News online: A story published on January 20 reporting arguments put by Crown about a fine levied by AUSTRAC has had extra context included. The final subheading has been changed and an additional line added from the Special Manager's report to more accurately reflect his findings that Crown has generally been transparent with his office. Additional changes have been made to the article to add clarity around Crown's financial position and the interest-free payment plan it negotiated with AUSTRAC.
Natalie Feliks clarification
Media Watch: The segment 'Transgender TERF war', broadcast on 26 June, implied that Natalie Feliks called Julie Szego a TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist). Media Watch would like to clarify that this was not a direct quote from Ms Feliks, but was paraphrased from comments made in her full statement which can be read on the Media Watch website.
Insiders – January 26 protestors
Insiders: On the Insiders episode broadcast in June 25 one of the panellists, an ABC reporter, said in relation to people protesting against January 26 that their motivation was protest against invasion and genocide, including “genocide of Aboriginal people that is ongoing today." ABC News would like to clarify that she was describing the beliefs of some protesters and their motivations, not the ABC’s.