澳大利亚广播公司（ABC）电视台《四角报道》节目的一部已下架剧集《Meth Highway》因内容与英国记者Conor Woodman的著作《Meth Road》高度相似而引发争议[1]。两部作品均以澳大利亚冰毒流行为切入点，追溯至泰缅边境地区，并采访了相同的信息源，包括联合国毒品犯罪办公室的Jeremy Douglas和记者Khuensai Jaiyan[1]。Woodman的著作发表于2023年10月[1]，他在回应中表示："我花了三个月在缅甸、泰国和老挝进行研究，环境往往充满挑战，有时甚至很危险"[1]。
该剧集的制作记者Mahmood Fazal随后在Instagram为自己辩护[1]。业内人士指出存在缺乏对原作者致敬的问题[1]。此外，澳大利亚媒体评论栏目《On Background》还曝光了行业内的其他专业操守问题，包括News Corp宣布将阿德莱德呼叫中心约50人的工作外包至菲律宾马尼拉（期限四个月），以及ChannelNews编辑David Richards的稿件中可能使用AI辅助改稿的迹象[1]。
An Australian media criticism column has raised concerns about striking similarities between a now-removed Four Corners episode and a book published around the same time.[1] The ABC television program's episode "Meth Highway," produced by journalist Mahmood Fazal, and British journalist Conor Woodman's book "Meth Road," released in October 2023, both examine Australia's methamphetamine epidemic by tracing its origins to the Myanmar-Thailand border.[1] Both works interviewed identical sources, including Jeremy Douglas from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and journalist Khuensai Jaiyan.[1]
Woodman described his research process, stating: "I spent three months in the Myanmar, Thailand and Laos researching my book in what was often a challenging and sometimes dangerous environment."[1] Fazal has defended himself on Instagram, writing: "One week I'm too involved in the street … the next week, I just got my mates to play roles … So which is it?"[1] Despite his response, industry observers have noted the lack of acknowledgment toward the original author.[1]
The media criticism column also documented additional professional ethics concerns in Australian journalism. News Corp announced plans to outsource approximately 50 positions from its Adelaide call center to Manila, Philippines, for a four-month period.[1] Meanwhile, ChannelNews editor David Richards' draft copy contained a note reading: "If you'd like, I can also make this more aggressive in the style of a ChannelNews exclusive..."[1], raising questions about potential AI-assisted editing practices. The column additionally exposed conflicts of interest involving News24 editor Rita Panahi.[1]