ABC says content featuring Ian Williams no longer meets its editorial standards after revelations unrelated to his bank dispute.
The ABC has confirmed it will not broadcast a scheduled episode of Australian Story following the discovery of previously undisclosed historical convictions involving its central subject.
The episode, titled Nabbed – Ian Williams, had been promoted to air on Monday, February 23 at 8pm, but was withdrawn just hours before broadcast. Viewers instead saw a repeat of Striking a Chord – Astrid Jorgensen, first broadcast in September last year. TV Blackbox has since been inundated with messages from frustrated viewers wanting to know why the decision was made.
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In a statement issued on Tuesday evening, a senior ABC spokesperson informed TV Blackbox that the national broadcaster received new information shortly before the program was due to air.
“The ABC received new information about Mr Ian Williams on Monday afternoon prior to Australian Story airing that was unrelated to his case against National Australia Bank.
We have since confirmed Mr Williams was convicted of serious historical offences, which he failed to disclose to the ABC.
Content featuring Mr Williams on the ABC no longer meets our editorial standards and is being removed.
The Australian Story will not go to air.”
The statement clarifies that the new information was unrelated to Mr Williams’ legal dispute with a subsidiary of National Australia Bank, which formed the basis of the program.
Earlier on Monday evening, when contacted about the late schedule change, an ABC spokesperson had said only: “It was an editorial issue, no further details at this time.”
The withdrawn episode followed Victorian pensioner Ian Williams, who lost $1338 in a scam and subsequently launched legal action against a bank subsidiary of National Australia Bank. According to promotional material released ahead of the broadcast, Mr Williams sued for $379,005,000, representing what he calculated as 5.5 per cent of the bank’s annual earnings.
The program had been expected to examine his self-represented court battle in the Supreme Court, his involvement with the Scam Victim Alliance, and the broader issue of online fraud.
The ABC has now confirmed the episode will not be broadcast at any future date and that content featuring Mr Williams is being removed from all of its platforms.
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It is highly unusual for the national broadcaster to withdraw a flagship current affairs episode without advance notice, particularly after considerable promotion across television, radio and digital platforms.
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