The head of Nine Network has apologised for the 60 Minutes abduction saga and vowed to find out “exactly what went on and why”.
Nine’s chief executive, Hugh Marks, told the Australian in his first interview since the scandal that he refused to rule out redundancies in getting “to the bottom of what had happened”.
Financial documents revealed on Thursday that Nine paid $69,000 to a “child recovery agent” hired to abduct two children from a Beirut street on behalf of their Australian mother.
60 Minutes had been covering Sally Faulkner’s bid to recover her two children from their father, Ali al-Amin, in Beirut.
Reporter Tara Brown and the three-person television crew returned to Australia on Thursday night after spending two weeks in a Lebanon prison.
Marks said he was “certainly sorry” – both that Faulkner’s bid to retrieve her children was unsuccessful and that Nine staff were put at risk.
“And I’m sorry that we’ve put ourselves in a position where we’re open to allegations we did the wrong thing,” he said.
“There’s a whole bunch of things to be sorry for, but let’s understand exactly what went on and why, before we make any decision.”
On Sunday night 60 Minutes reporter Michael Usher acknowledged the “mistakes and failures” had been “the subject of a lot of soul searching here at Channel Nine”.
“I had to say goodbye to my babies,” said Faulkner of leaving children Lahela, five, and Noah, three, in Beirut.
Though she had spent the flight back to Australia “bawling my eyes out”, she felt “numb because it feels so surreal”.
Reunited with her newborn baby, Eli, Faulkner said she “had to try”.
Brown said on the program that Faulkner felt “she had no choice but to do this”.
“I’m so amazed at how she’s held up and how strong she’s been because ultimately she’s lost everything, you know? She’s lost her babies.”
A review of the editorial approval and actions of the crew involved in the story began on Friday, and is being carried out by 60 Minutes founder Gerald Stone and former A Current Affair head David Hurley.
Brown, producer Stephen Rice, cameraman Ben Williamson and sound recordist David Ballment could still face further charges, though they have returned to Australia.
The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, said on 2SM on Friday the saga seemed to be “most unwise” and would no doubt be “of interest to various regulatory agencies”.
“I’d rather say no more about it, other than to make this observation: it doesn’t matter who you are, or who you work for, when you are overseas you must obey the laws of the country in which you are visiting.
“Nobody is above the law.”