EXCLUSIVE: The tweet ABC executive Jo Puccini doesn’t want you to see as former commando Heston Russell sues national broadcaster over ‘shoddy war crimes’ reporting
- ABC is attempting to defend two defamatory stories
A top ABC executive has quietly deleted her Twitter account after a gruelling cross examination in defamation proceedings brought by former commando Heston Russell.
ABC’s head of Investigations and Current Affairs, Jo Puccini, endured a tough cross examination by defamation silk Sue Chrysanthou SC in the Federal Court on Friday over her oversight of the reporting on alleged war crimes by investigative journalists Mark Willacy and Josh Robertson.
Heston Russell is suing the ABC and the two investigative journalists for defamation over stories published in 2020 and 2021 he claims made it look like he was being investigated for shooting an unarmed prisoner.
Ms Chrysanthou zeroed in on a tweet in which Puccini allegedly took a swipe at 2GB, a Sydney radio station in November 2021.
High-profile 2GB presenter Ben Fordham had criticised Willacy’s reporting of the account of a US Marine who only ‘deduced’ but did not actually witness a murder by Australian soldiers of a hogtied Afghani prisoner in Afghanistan in 2012.
Puccini’s Twitter account appeared to vanish over the weekend.
The editor of ABC Investigations, Jo Puccini, took to the witness stand for the final day of evidence in the former soldier’s defamation trial
In November 2022 Justice Michael Lee ruled that the ABC’s reporting conveyed a series of defamatory meanings including that Russell as commander of the November platoon was involved in the shooting and killing of an Afghan prisoner.
The ABC is seeking to rely on a new public interest defence that was introduced in July 2021 in NSW and is being tested for the first time in this case.
Puccini’s tweet published a link to a follow up story that alleged that the November Platoon were under a criminal investigation as a result of a rejected FOI response made by the ABC to the Department of Defence.
When confronted about the tweet during her cross examination, Puccini said: ‘And why I tweet this, I don’t know. I was obviously – I obviously made an error.’
Puccini also admitted making errors in her checking of the articles, but did not accept the ABC should have sought a reply from the members of November Platoon prior to the October Article.
Ms Chrysanthou has alleged Willacy ‘did not want to find the truth’ and engaged in a ‘shocking breach’ of ethics when he reported on allegations of war crimes he ‘failed to corroborate’
Puccini’s 19 November 2021 tweet published a link to a follow up story that alleged that the November Platoon were under a criminal investigation as a result of a rejected FOI response made by the ABC to the Department of Defence
Puccini’s appearance in the witness box quickly sparked a series of memes in the veteran community that circulated via social media and text message.
Puccini is the latest ABC staffer whose personal social media has caused problems for the broadcaster, which has disciplined several staff for posting on platforms like Twitter.
The ABC executive was the final witness in a six-day defamation trial brought by Russell.
Earlier in the week the court heard evidence from Robertson that 2GB and Fordham had broadcast multiple stories that were critical of Willacy and the ABC’s reporting.
Former soldier Heston Russell (pictured with his with his legal team) fought back tears in court when he took to the stand this week
A series of memes circulated on social media following Ms Puccini lacklustre performance in the witness box
Mr Willacy was the focus of many of the memes circulating on social media
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