ABC warns national anti-corruption commission could investigate journalists’ work

The ABC says the definition of corruption could capture confidential government information or documents sent to a journalist in ‘the normal course’ of their work. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian

The ABC has warned it could face corruption complaints for its journalists’ work under the national anti-corruption commission and has called for editorial work to be excluded from the commission’s purview.

The ABC made the request in a submission to a parliamentary inquiry on the Nacc, saying that the definition of corruption – which includes the “misuse of information or documents” – could capture confidential government information or documents being sent to an ABC journalist in “the normal course of the journalist’s work”.