Masters concerned by non-disclosure
ABC producer Deborah Masters spent her third day in the witness box defending Four Corners’ portrayal of eminent Australian mountaineer Tim Macartney-Snape and biologist Jeremy Griffith as their defamation trial against the national broadcaster continued.
One of the three defamatory imputations held to arise from the 1995 ABC-TV broadcast was that Mr Macartney-Snape abuses his position of influence, derived from his reputation as a mountaineer, to recruit students at schools for Mr Griffith.
Under cross-examination by Kieran Smark, Ms Masters conceded she was “at least a little troubled” that Four Corners did not disclose to Mr Macartney-Snape allegations about how he promoted Mr Griffith’s ideas made by Howard Whelan before they went to air in the program.
“And one of the reasons why you were at least a little troubled is that you wondered if as a matter of fairness it mightn’t be appropriate in the circumstances to raise at least with Mr Macartney-Snape or some other person with the Foundation whether or not the allegations being made by Mr Whelan was a matter to which they wished to respond specifically?” asked Mr Smark.
“Yes, that’s right”, she responded.
Ms Masters said that after seeking advice from Four Corners’ executive producer Ian Carroll, it was decided the program’s guest reporter, Reverend David Millikan, could canvass Mr Whelan’s allegations with Mr Griffith in the final interview. She agreed it was “a matter of regret” when that did not come to pass.
Ms Masters also described how she had sought to have Mr Macartney-Snape stay back after a school speech to do a further interview, which did not proceed following a debate she had with Reverend Millikan.
“And as it happened, a decision was made and may we take it from your demeanour today it is one that even now you wish had been resolved in a different direction?” asked Mr Smark.
“Well yes, I suppose I do”, she replied.
Later in the day, the Court was shown a compilation of 17 film extracts that were not included in the final Four Corners broadcast. Some of the extracts contained comments and discussion about Mr Griffith’s work from scientists interviewed by Reverend Millikan, such as:
“I initially am attracted to the underlying concept of it which is that there is a fundamental nexus between the instinctive self, through our evolution, the instinctive human being and the intellectual self. I’d never thought of that until I read it in Jeremy’s prose and I think it struck a chord of common sense with me”, said Dr Graham Robertson.
“The book, well, is not without interest as we’ve seen, and in some cases it’s downright intriguing as we’ve seen and that’s what I said”, said Professor Colin Groves.
“I think it’s always very valuable to try to look at behaviours, human behaviours particularly, and to try to gain some understanding of them by looking at our nearest relatives and what little we understand about the fossil record and human evolution”, said Professor Tim Flannery.
Ms Masters agreed she had seen each extract as part of the process of assembling the Four Corners program.
“This was material that, for whatever reason, you decided not to include or you were part of a collaboration that decided not to include in the final Four Corners program, isn’t it?” asked Mr Smark.
“Yes”, she replied.
Cross-examination of Ms Masters continues tomorrow in the Supreme Court.
