The ABC is fighting back at “offensive” allegations it “manipulated” Craig McLachlan’s accusers.
In January 2018, multiple media organisations published allegations McLachlan had indecently assaulted four women during a 2014 stage production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Victoria Police charged him later with seven counts of indecent assault and six counts of common law assault against four women on the set of The Rocky Horror Show in 2014.
He was acquitted of all charges in December last year.
The actor broke his silence earlier in the month in a highly emotional interview with Channel 7’s Spotlight.
The program aired claims the ABC had “manipulated” McLachlan’s accusers when it interviewed the women in 2018.
In one segment from Spotlight, an off-air ABC producer can be heard saying to one of the women: “I’m just looking for a sharp, short you said: ‘this is predatory behaviour, it wasn’t a one off, and when we all shared our stories we realised how calculated he was’.”
Then ABC reporter Lorna Knowles said: “I don’t think we should be putting words into her mouth to some extent.”
The actor is suing the ABC and Nine newspapers over reports of the 2014 allegations for which he was tried and acquitted.
ABC rejected the allegations in a statement today, saying it was “offensive”.
“In January 2018, the ABC reported allegations made by three women regarding actor Craig McLachlan. The broadcast and online stories included interviews with these women,” an ABC spokeswoman said.
“Last week the Seven Network aired claims, since repeated elsewhere, that the women interviewed were ‘manipulated’ by an ABC producer and reporter ‘to say certain things’.
“Seven producer Mark Llewellyn subsequently claimed the women were ‘coached’ and that there was ‘clear evidence of words being put in (their) mouths’.
“The ABC rejects these claims. They are also offensive to the women who stepped forward to tell their stories.”
The ABC spokeswoman said the clips shown on Spotlight had been “selectively edited” and were taken out of context.
“Seven has selectively edited raw footage and used very brief grabs without full context from near the end of an almost hour-long interview with one of the women,” the ABC said.
“The unedited footage shows the interviewee was asked to repeat in a more succinct way statements she had already made on-camera.
“This is a normal television industry practice in some cases to ensure content is presented in a clear way for viewers.
“At the time of the original story the ABC offered Mr McLachlan the opportunity of an interview, sent him detailed questions and ran his responses extensively.”
Channel 7’s Mark Llewelyn, the executive producer of Spotlight, told The Australian that the ABC had put aside its “ethical responsibilities”.
“No matter how comfortable it feels on the high moral ground it doesn’t mean you can put aside your ethical responsibilities as journalists,” he said.
“It’s too easy to think you’re infallible and the story is ‘so important’ that the means justify the ends. Well, they don’t.”
