Series 2019

40 episodes · 2019

Four Corners reporter Sophie McNeill reveals the story of Saudi asylum seeker Rahaf Al Qunun from inside a Bangkok hotel room capturing the high tension, despair and eventual jubilation when Rahaf is offered asylum in Canada.

Their voices are persuasive, their emails insistent and they have proven to be remarkably successful at conning countless people into handing over their money. Internet scamming began in the early days of email with appeals from Nigerian 'princes' asking for help to regain their missing money. From those amateurish beginnings, the scammers watched, learned and refined their techniques. What started out as a simple scam from West Africa has now morphed into a global enterprise, conning people on an industrial scale.

As China transforms into an economic powerhouse, billions of dollars have been illegally spirited out of the country. Mark Willacy reports on the bounty hunters chasing China's missing millions in Australia.

Why are so many women going to prison? Across Australia, there are now more women in prison than ever before - and once they're out they're very likely to reoffend and end up back inside.

Four Corners reveals how Australia's highest ranking Catholic, Cardinal George Pell, was brought to justice. With the suppression order lifted on his conviction for sexually abusing two boys, the full story can now be told.

In heart-stopping interviews and video we follow the story of Princess Latifa, daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum - the ruler of Dubai whose horse won the 2018 Melbourne Cup, as she attempts to escape Dubai.

Uber is one of the most recognisable brands in the world. It's embedded in our language and revolutionised transport. How did the edgy digital disruptor upend an entire business model, outwit regulators and crush competitors?

The Christchurch terror attack brought to light the violent, disturbing right-wing extremist movement flourishing on the internet. Were authorities so focused on Islamic extremism that they failed to grasp this deadly threat?

The struggle to reduce Australia's greenhouse gas emissions. With a Federal election looming, we explore climate change policy: from electricity prices, the role of coal, the cars we drive, animals we breed and gas we export.

New evidence of China's covert political influence campaign in Australia. We reveal secret Beijing-backed political activity and information gathering operations targeting politicians and Chinese dissenters in Australia.

A grandmother's desperate journey to rescue her children and bring them home. Four Corners exclusively brings you the story of the Sharrouf children and their grandmother's fight to save them from a refugee camp in Syria.

Four Corners explores the controversial police technique putting innocent people behind bars, with a series of high-profile cases across America revealing a slew of wrongful convictions based on false confessions.

Universities that were cash strapped are now flush with billions of dollars brought in from fee paying international students. But there are growing concerns about the consequences of the overseas student boom.

It's almost three years since the shocking revelations of mistreatment in the NT's Don Dale youth detention centre. Four Corners investigates a new child detention crisis in another part of Australia. Mark Willacy reports.

The Battle for Warringah is one of this election's most intriguing. We examine the new style of campaigning and the future of the Liberal Party through the battle between Former PM Tony Abbott and Independent Zali Steggall.

On April 15, the world watched in horror as the Notre-Dame Cathedral caught alight. Through interviews and video from fire authorities and eyewitnesses we follow the epic battle to save the 800-year-old architectural icon.

How the Chinese Communist Party crushed democracy. 30 years ago millions of students and citizens protested in Tiananmen Square calling for democracy. A trove of vision and audio reveals how the shocking events unfolded.

Louise Milligan investigates what led up to James Gargasoulas driving a car at high speed through Melbourne's Bourke Street killing six people, despite facing serious criminal charges and warnings he was a danger to others.

President Trump has ignited a massive trade war with China, slapping billions of dollars worth of tariffs on Chinese goods. Despite the rhetoric, questions are being asked about who has the most to lose from the conflict.

Australia has one of the worst extinction rates on the planet, and growing. Four Corners goes into the field with leading scientists and conservation volunteers to document first hand the fight to save these wild creatures.

In increasingly alarming scenes, the US and Iran are facing off in the Middle East. Tensions have escalated, driven by concerns over the Islamic Republic's nuclear capabilities which have led to fears of military conflict.

Two years on from the investigation into water theft in the Murray-Darling Basin that sparked a royal commission, we return to the river system to investigate new concerns about how the plan to rescue it is being carried out.

We uncover disturbing evidence of how China is effectively operating the world's largest prison. In Xinjiang province the Uyghur population is rounded up, detained or monitored using AI technology and mass surveillance tools.

Julian Assange is one of the most influential figures of our time. The Australian born founder of WikiLeaks harnessed technology to champion free speech and the right to know. But is he a hero or villain?

In 2016 Donald Trump enjoyed Wikileaks damaging Hillary Clinton's campaign. Now President Trump wants to imprison the publisher of the leaks. We explore Julian Assange's activities while sheltering in the Ecuadorian Embassy.

How the UK's plan to leave Europe turned into a nightmare. Three years after the UK voted to leave the EU, key negotiators and politicians reveal what happened and how new PM Boris Johnson intends to resolve the crisis.

Can Boris Johnson deliver Brexit and keep the Kingdom together? Phil Williams explores his career from journalist to politician, through epic gaffes, scandals and a colourful turn of phrase to become Britain's 77th PM.

From shoddy workmanship to lax laws, Australia's apartment building crisis is leaving owners out of pocket and in some cases homeless. Industry insiders reveal a litany of failures that could leave defects for years to come.

National security versus the public's right to know. The extraordinary steps Australia's government took to prosecute a former spy and his lawyer for conspiring to reveal secret intelligence operations aimed at a foreign government.

For 12 weeks Hong Kong has been convulsed by turmoil as pro-democracy flash mob protestors rise up against mainland Chinese rule. We go on the frontline to witness the escalating violence and chaos with extraordinary footage.

How your postcode can determine the quality of care you get. Medical staff speak out about the standard of hospital care after a series of catastrophic incidents resulting in preventable death, injury or permanent disability.

Social media has transformed how we communicate and share thoughts. But it has morphed into the perfect platform for orchestrated disinformation campaigns, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish real from fake info.

Dying is an expensive business with the billion-dollar funeral industry virtually unregulated. We reveal the dubious tactics of some in the industry, from price gouging, unethical conduct and questionable treatment of bodies.

For the first time former brides of Islamic State tell their stories of life in the caliphate. Tracing their journeys from quiet Australian suburbia to the streets of the Middle East, they beg to be allowed home to Australia.

Sir Trevor McDonald investigates the extraordinary case of one of Britain's worst serial killers: Beverly Allitt, a young female nurse who murdered and attacked children in her care.

Australia's universities are embroiled in a growing geopolitical storm amid rising concerns over expanding Chinese power abroad. Is Australian technology and know-how being used to help strengthen China's repressive regime?

The scandalous case of Lawyer X and the underbelly murder investigations. Prominent figures reveal the story of cops, criminals, murder and betrayal, and how the actions of Victoria Police have undermined the justice system.

It's sold as a dream job - an 'influencer' lifestyle where you can work flexible hours from home and earn a commission. But social media marketing and selling schemes are accused of using illegal pyramid selling practices.

The man wrongly accused in the William Tyrrell child abduction investigation, Bill Spedding, speaks publicly for the first time. How did a single-minded approach by police lead to a raft of mistakes and missed opportunities.

Why too many young Australians are struggling with literacy in the digital age. Louise Milligan examines the way reading and writing is being taught in our schools to find out what is going wrong.