The Australian behind Al Jazeera’s One Nation sting doesn’t fear police
The Australian journalist who spearheaded an international sting that exposed One Nation’s apparent policy flexibility for the right money has stood by the investigation.
An undercover reporter for Al Jazeera set up and secretly recorded meetings between gun lobby groups and One Nation figures James Ashby and Steve Dickson.
The tapes appear to show One Nation offering to lobby for a rollback of gun control in Australian in exchange for $20 million.
Pauline Hanson’s party says it will refer Al Jazeera to ASIO and federal police.
But the Australian executive producer of the Washington-based investigation unit that conducted the sting
“They’re very welcome to call in the police,” Peter Charley told Neil Mitchell.
“We have nothing to hide. There is no manipulation of fact or distortion of what occurred.”
Charley: They were recorded covertly
Neil Mitchell: Which is unethical under Australian journalism ethics.
Charley: Well, I think there’s a time and place for that sort of journalism and it’s not unheard of. And certainly we operated under the very rigid advice of our lawyers not only in Australia but (also) the United States and UK.
“In this instance I have no issue with the methods we used. We feel it was an appropriate course of action.”
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