ABC forced to delete story as it’s revealed reporter received $16,000 from a weapons company for travel costs
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- Andrew Greene received $16,000
- The ABC is investigating
The ABC is investigating one of its reporters after it was revealed he received $16,000 in travel costs from a weapons company he covered in one of his stories.
Andrew Greene travelled from Sydney to Germany on business class flights worth about $16,000, and was put up in hotels in Hamburg and Kiel to attend a press event for the German weapons company TKMS. The company paid for his trip.
The senior defence correspondent for the ABC later filed a segment for The World Today about TKMS including quotes from its CEO Oliver Burkhard. After revelations of Greene’s junket came to light, the story was removed from the ABC website.
‘We know what we’re doing,’ Mr Burkhard told Greene in the report.
‘I know our competitors, they never have been exported in the past.’
Greene did not disclose the trip to either his ABC audience or his bosses, according to Media Watch.
As far as the ABC knew, he was on personal leave and had obtained audio of Mr Burkhard’s press conference by email, rather than travelling to Germany in person.
Media Watch host Linton Besser was highly critical of the veteran reporter, saying that ‘while Andrew Greene might have a long history as a news breaker, he’s now been brought undone by weakness before temptation’.
Andrew Greene (pictured) travelled from Sydney to Germany on business class flights worth about $16,000, paid for by TKMS
Media Watch host Linton Besser (pictured) was highly critical of the veteran reporter
‘It’s a cautionary if shabby tale of the risk every journalist takes in flirting with the generosities of a ruthless corporate sector.’
After Media Watch put questions to the national broadcaster about Greene’s trip, his story was scrubbed from its website.
It has since launched an investigation into Greene’s conduct.
‘These are serious allegations and the ABC is investigating them,’ ABC spokesperson Sally Jackson said in a statement on Monday.
‘The ABC has rigorous editorial policies and any such behaviour, if proven, would be unacceptable and could constitute misconduct.
‘For reasons of due process and confidentiality we won’t comment further while the investigation is underway.’
