Though it initially courted drama after being rather sensationally pulled from the ABC’s broadcast schedule, Four Corners is now set to air their highly anticipated QAnon episode, which explores the links between Prime Minister Scott Morrison and a longtime friend who is a devout believer of the dangerous, and baseless, conspiracy theory.
The episode briefly courted controversy last week, when reports emerged that ABC Managing Director David Anderson pulled it from its originally scheduled broadcast spot, which would have seen it go to air earlier this week.
While initial reports implied the episode had been binned altogether, Anderson later clarified that the decision was purely an editorial one in a bid to give the Four Corners team more time to work on it. “I didn’t pull the story; the story’s still under way and very well may go to air… I reviewed the material and made an editorial decision it was not yet ready for broadcast, as any responsible editor-in-chief would,” Anderson stated on Monday.
It’s now confirmed that it will indeed go to air this coming Monday, and a trailer for the episode has now been released.
Focusing on the family of Morrison’s friend, the trailer hints at a deep exploration of online radicalisation, and the damaging nature of the QAnon cult as a whole. Crucially, it will also explore Morrison’s links to the man in question, and how dangerous those ties are for the most important office in the country.
It looks spicy, to cut a long story short.
Here we go, folks. Next on #4Corners ‘The Great Awakening: A Family Divided by QAnon’. Here’s a preview pic.twitter.com/m3j7qb1d2k
— Sally Neighbour (@neighbour_s) June 11, 2021
Morrison himself made no attempts to hide how annoyed the whole scenario has made him. When questioned late last week, he asserted “I find it deeply offensive that there would be any suggestion that I would have any involvement or support for such a dangerous organisation.”
So after a week’s delay, the episode will indeed go to air. What that means for Scott Morrison remains to be seen, but all will be revealed next week.
Four Corners goes to air Monday night at 8:30pm on the ABC and ABC iView.
