The ABC’s week from hell continues after the public broadcaster was lambasted for airing footage of a gravely ill Australian man euthanising himself on last night’s 7.30.
It follows on from the Four Corners furore earlier in the week where its coverage of refugees on Nauru was found to contain a number of falsehoods and was accused of airing misleading footage.
Yesterday, there were claims by the government in Parliament that the public broadcaster was being taken over by “political operatives” and its reporting had become “unacceptable”.
The latest problems follow the airing of footage of a 66-year-old man, Max Bromson, taking a fatal dose of the illegal euthanasia drug Nembutal in July 2014. The article and footage is still available on the ABC website.
You can watch the footage here, however, discretion is advised.
However, the imagery and story have once again copped the ire of the federal government.
The Australian has today reported that former Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, has lambasted the ABC for airing the confronting footage calling it “death voyeurism”.
“Surely not even the ABC is so irresponsible, I am simply appalled,” Abbott said.
“Regardless of where you stand on the issue, there have to be standards of reporting. This is death voyeurism, not journalism.”
