or is 4 Corners just a stirrer?

"Contamination: The unfolding scandal of toxic water in Australian communities.

“You've been giving your children water that's contaminated with chemicals…. so you're just trying to get your head around what does that mean?” Katherine resident

It’s one of the biggest environmental scandals in Australian history. Harmful chemicals, leaching into the ground and waterways, contaminating the water relied upon for drinking.

“They became more and more certain…It was also in the food chain, and it was also a risk to human health. Their own report by their own expert made that clear, that there was a risk to human health.” Investigator "

"Communities, living in the shadow of three key defence bases, have been trapped in a kind of no-man’s land for the past three years after it was revealed these chemicals, known as PFAS, had seeped out of the bases and contaminated the surrounding areas'

Personally, I think that 4 Corners does a good job.

Yep!....it's the masses that screw up

I think 4 Traumas, like the rest of the ABC political machine, is a stirrer rather than informer and provider of accurate, unbiased information. The only things worth seeing on the taxpayer-burdening monolith are UK drama programs and 'Glitch'.

Dear Is Mise,

I think 4 Corners is having a stellar year. The Murray-Darling water ripoff was brilliant and timely. If your work is forcing heads to roll within government, an institution which is incredibly good at arse covering, then it must be substantial, revealing, and solidly factual. I imagine every pollie who gets asked for an interview must have conniptions.

They are speaking truth to power as any good journalism should but sadly they risk becoming a lone voice, especially in a media landscape controlled by the likes of Murdoch.

They are worth every bloody penny and I would hate to think of this country without their efforts. Which is why I get so heartily sick of those who continue to disparage Aunty, usually from people who have had their side of politics touch up by the program. We are very fortunate to have her.

Steele,

I heartily concur, except for Glitch; I watched the first series but don't think that it warrants continuation.
If it weren't for Aunty the viewing public would be left with little but old US programs where subtle is an unknown word and canned laughter takes the place of humour.

My particular interest gets more than its fair share of adverse and one sided coverage but I still think, like you, that the ABC is worth the expense I'm sure that the people up in Catherine share our views.

Dear Is Mise,

I find that Four Corners without a doubt must be
our best television current affairs program.
And I am so grateful that we have it . For who else
exposes the scandals that this program does and not only
that it succeeds in triggering inquiries, and firing
debates.

Just look at the list of some of the past programs that
have been aired - for example -
who's benefiting from the billions
spent on the Murray-Darling, the retirement villages rip-offs
of retirees, the unfolding scandal of toxic water in Australian
Communities, the developers deals and donations on the Gold
Coast, the Adani mine - and the dubious dealings of India's
corporate colossus, and the list goes on.

The Four Corners program has been part of our national current
affairs since 1961 - long may it continue.

In her only Australian interview Monday 16th October, 8.31pm,
Hillary Clinton talks about what went wrong and her fears for
the future with Sarah Ferguson.

I shall definitely be watching.

I find 4 corners to be full of truth, half truths and lies. The making victims out of crimminals (albeit) kids was a disgrace. They perpetuate myths and make hero's out of the wrong people. Often its what they don't say that screams the loudest.

Runner, do you really have trouble comprehending that criminals can be victims as well?

4 corners did not make victims out of them; the poorly resourced and badly run NT Justice Department did.

Aiden

you have obviously no experience or idea what it is like to deal with people who spit, kick and throw gigantic tantrums knowing that they will get what they want by their actions.

yes crimminals can be victims however by and large they are conniving thiefs who are caught up in generational crime making life miserable by all who live anywhere near them. I see the hero made from four corners is back breaking the law again. What a surprise! The true victims are those these kids keep offending against.

SteeleRedux writes:
“Which is why I get so heartily sick of those who continue to disparage Aunty, usually from people who have had their side of politics touch up by the program.”

Shirley you can’t be serious.
When was the last time their ABC held The Greens feet to the fire?
Actually, when was the first time.
Where might one find a conservative journalist on Aunty. There aren’t any.

However, I’d agree with Foxy that Four Corners has had a long history of largely impeccable journalism, the likes of which is increasingly rare. Not today, however; that’s gone.

The activism really is becoming obvious and even the ABC realise it as evidenced by a recent thread around an ABC email to staff.

Honestly, if it wasn’t for incessant “articles” on the Great Barrier Reef, climate change in general, gay marriage and Tony Abbott, they’d have nothing to say.

With the obvious bias, it should come as no surprise when people call for the ABC to be sold.
It’s really only the television arm of The Guardian.
The Guardian isn’t my cup of tea but at least I don’t have to fund it.

Dear Dustin,

All you have to do is Google "4 Corners/Episodes" and you
will get a list of their coverage ranging from 2006
to 2017. The list of topics is quite varied.
Investigative journalism at its best. For example,
their series on
domestic violence "Hitting Home," won the
Best Documentary at the 2016 AACTA awards and it also won the
Walkley Documentary award. Their topics cover a wide range
from "Power and Influence," on China to "The Siege"
(Lindt Cafe), to "Inside The Greens," and even Donald Trump.

Chris Uhlmann learned his craft through the ABC. And
Sarah Ferguson who hosts 4 Corners has an impressive
background as a journalist. As for the cost that taxpayer's
pay for our national broadcaster - do your research. It just
may surprise you.

//However, I’d agree with Foxy that Four Corners has had a long history of largely impeccable journalism, the likes of which is increasingly rare. Not today, however; that’s gone.//

Ya reckon? One of those defence bases mentioned is Williamtown RAAF base, which is fairly close to my neck of the woods. And I'm studying analytical chemistry. So this story is of some personal interest to me, and I've been following it closely in the Newcastle Herald (not a branch of the ABC).

The contamination is real, and can be measured with various analytical techniques. Trying to paint this as some ABC lefty beat-up is a load of crap: journalists don't know how to operate chromatographs or spectrophotometers, and the sort of nerds that possess that knowledge only care about getting accurate data.

The laws of nature are entirely apolitical. Molecules do as they please, with scant regard for anyone's politics.

Isn't chemistry grand? (rhetorical)

Foxy,

I’ll not make a big thing of it because I have indeed appreciated Four Corners over the years, but more in the past than currently. Sarah Ferguson is also good, and I’m happy enough to ignore the kerfuffle over that Joe Hockey interview too. There’s a fine line between subtle activism and outright bias. Everyone has a bias and I don’t think we can expect journalists to be free from it either. Most of us can pick that up.

Chris Uhlmann; I knew it.
And didn’t he get a shellacking for not toeing the party line

Crikey reckoned the ABC should dump him, but then Guy Rundle is pretty bizarre at the best of times.
Of course Uhlmann has now seen the light and moved to Channel Nine. He’ll do a lot better there.
How should we say this . . he’s not a good mach for the ABC.
Paul Keating even wrote to the ABC complaining about Uhlmann too.

But after those two, who else would you like to nominate in this little line up for ABC’s “balanced" journalisms prize?
Tony Jones?
Leigh Sales?
Emma Alberscreechie?

Because the reality is, there isn’t anyone.
It’s the institutionalised bias I have an issue with and even Paul Barry touched on it during his interview with Mark Scott; predictably no real joy there though.

Dear Dustin,

Who else would I recommend for the ABC's balanced
journalist prize?

Well let's see - How about Barrie Cassidy, and others
who appear with him on "The Insiders," journalists
like Paul Sheehan, Gerard Henderson (am I on the
right track now?) and of course there's - Dennis Atkins,
Phil Coorey, Malcolm Farr, Mark Kenny, Fran Kelly, to name
just a few. What about Annabelle Crabb? And many more.
But you get the idea.

All in all supposed biased is a very difficult business to
measure - Tony Abbott complained about the ABC, but then so
did Paul Keating in his time. We need to determine what is
factual, slanted and misleading and for this we need to look
at a range of indicators.

1) Does the ABC give significantly more time to one side of
politics than the other - especially during elections?
Coverage is pretty even between the two parties and even in
programs like "Q and A" the panelists are pretty much well
balanced.

2) What about the question of public trust? Newspoll conducts
a survey commissioned by the ABC every year to gauge various
aspects of audience satisfaction. And so far the percentage
of people who believe that the ABC is balanced and even-handed
when reporting news and current affairs is still an overwhelming
majority.

A KPMG Report quoted in Crikey found the ABC to be a broadly
efficient organisation. The KPMG Report considered the ABC
to be highly efficient and underfunded. It may interest you to
know that the BBC receives much more in funding than our
national broadcaster.

Anyway, I shall leave you to your opinion. I have no further
wish to argue with you.

Cheers.

Dear Dustin,

You asked;

“When was the last time their ABC held The Greens feet to the fire?”

How about 14 Aug 2017?

Inside the Greens - “The Greens have been a party in disarray. As the party faces its biggest challenges since its foundation, Four Corners investigates if the party's actions live up to their spin. Louise Milligan reports.”

And stop calling me Shirley.

Hey ttbn
"The only things worth seeing on the taxpayer-burdening monolith are UK drama programs..."

I'm kind of fond of Poldark.

Haven't watched 4 Corners much and never heard of Glitch so can't comment on them.

TtbT has one eye only , He does not give a hoot about polluted water that people are offered to drink, as long as it is not him.
Some english poofterized filth is more to his liking.
He and Abbott the perpetual liar go hand in hand down the aisle of religious encumbrance to recommend political statement.

Four Corners is a terrific programme especially in the way it manages to place a well-researched, well-presented bomb under the privileged and complacent. One which has devastating effect in practice.

However last Monday's was not up to Sarah Ferguson's usual masterly standard - it seemed she was not really steeped in the politics of the American Presidential race. Anyone who followed the Democrat campaign closely would have noticed the rigged election in which the party brushed Bernie Sanders aside thus delivering America to Donald Trump (rigging exposed by Assange no matter where he got his information).

Clinton based her campaign very largely on gender identity politics, and Sarah Ferguson could have pressed her much more insistently on her record in the Senate as voting to finance the US colonial regime change wars against Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya while Senator Bernie Sanders had voted No to all four of them.

While Hillary Clinton offered war without end Trump focused on the rust belt states offering them relief from the unemployment brought about by imports from China's use of cheap labour. He didn't have to be dinkum, merely attention-grabbing.