An independent review commissioned by the ABC found that five additional gunshot sounds were inadvertently added to footage of a commando firing from a helicopter.

The review concluded that these extra gunshots were not included deliberately, but rather as an unintended consequence of editing efforts.

Led by former ABC executive Alan Sunderland, the review found no evidence of intentional manipulation or distortion of information in the reports.

ABC news director Justin Stevens acknowledged the editing errors as regrettable but maintained they do not undermine the value of the ABC's reporting on critical issues concerning Australian soldiers.

In light of the findings, the ABC has removed the problematic video and issued apologies to the 2nd Commando Regiment and to Bret Hamilton for context errors in his interview regarding war crimes.

This review follows a previous defamation case won by former commando Heston Russell against the ABC, where he received $390,000 in damages.

The review clarified that the errors went unnoticed because there were no indicators in the footage suggesting additional review was necessary.

During a Senate estimates hearing on November 5, 2024, ABC executives, including acting managing director Melanie Klyn, apologized for the editing errors.

ABC managing director David Anderson was absent from the hearing due to medical issues and had announced his intention to resign earlier in August 2024.

The review was prompted by allegations from Seven's Spotlight program regarding doctored audio in an ABC story about Australian soldiers' conduct.

The report also examined why legal concerns regarding the footage were not communicated by the ABC's legal department in 2022.

Sunderland emphasized that thorough checks were made on the stories, reinforcing that there was no conscious decision to mislead audiences.