Four Corners withdraws episodes by sacked reporter due to accuracy concerns
The ABC has withdrawn sacked reporter Mahmood Fazal’s Four Corners shows Meth Highway and Cocaine Nation over concerns about accuracy.
“This action was taken following concerns identified regarding the accuracy of certain sources used on both programmes,” ABC management said in a statement. The statement was included.
ABC chief executive Hugh Marks confirmed at a Senate estimates hearing in May that Fazal had been dismissed following an investigation by the ABC into Fazal’s appearance on a podcast last year.
ABC’s statement stated that the decision to remove the Four Corners programs was separate from the investigation into Fazal’s appearance on the podcast.
Mahmood Fazal no longer works at ABC. (ABC News)
It was stated that the issue was forwarded to the ABC Ombudsman for independent review of the programs’ compliance with editorial standards.
“The ABC will consider whether any further action will be required once the review has been completed,” he said.
In Meth Highway, released in 2024, Fazal investigates a crystal meth pipeline from Melbourne to a major source of production in Southeast Asia, the program said.
In 2023, Cocaine Nation spanned the “murky underworld” of Australia’s cocaine supply chain with “unprecedented access to individuals involved in the trade”, according to the department’s statement.
It is unclear which parts of the episodes were questioned.
The withdrawal comes at a turbulent time for the broadcaster after the sudden departure of news director Justin Stevens in May.
Mr Marks confirmed that he and Stevens had disagreed over the direction of the organisation, and the next day announced that a replacement would be appointed to replace Reuters editor-in-chief Simon Robinson.
Prior to his Four Corners stint, Mahmood Fazal worked as an investigative reporter on ABC RN’s Background Briefing. (ABC)
A former member of the Mongolian cycling club, Fazal is an award-winning journalist specializing in crime, violence, imprisonment and terrorism.
Before working at Four Corners, she was an investigative reporter on ABC RN’s Background Briefing.
Before joining ABC, she worked as a senior writer at VICE and host of the series Violent Times.
His reporting has appeared in The Guardian, Rolling Stone, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Monthly and The Saturday Paper.
Fazal used his connections to orchestrate crime stories and investigations involving gang members.
He has been contacted for comment.
Joel Tozer, who previously directed 7.30, was appointed executive producer of Four Corners in December 2025.
As one of his first management changes, he appointed Patricia Drum to the role of editor, commissioning and standards.
Advertisements for the job said the role would be tasked with “leading the commissioning and standards to maintain the quality and integrity of the ABC’s flagship investigative journalism programme.”
