Series 2020

40 episodes · 2020

They are the videos that stunned the world - images from the firegrounds capturing the ferocity of the bushfires that have raged across Australia. We bring you the people and the stories behind the heart-stopping footage.

A criminal scandal stretching from the White House to Australia. Stephanie March investigates the insider trading scandal that engulfed a US Congressman and his Sydney-based investment, posing major questions for regulators.

Private school privilege and a culture of cover up. Schools promise academic excellence and pledge to turn out fine young men and women, but has a desire to protect reputation at all costs allowed a toxic culture to flourish.

The deadly epidemic that sparked a global emergency. We chart the Coronavirus outbreak from Wuhan, whether a cover up by Chinese authorities allowed the virus to spread and how scientists are racing to develop a vaccine.

Growing up without a gender. Young Australians who do not identify as male or female explain how they negotiate the world and the judgement of others. Their parents talk about what it's like to raise a gender neutral child.

The Jeffrey Epstein scandal continues even after his death. Through interviews with key players, including Prince Andrew, we piece together sordid details of Epstein's offending and the allegations made against Prince Andrew.

Exposing killings and cover ups by Australian special forces in Afghanistan. Four Corners details explosive revelations about the conduct of Australia's elite special forces during the war in Afghanistan. Mark Willacy reports.

On the frontline to preserve the world's largest tropical rainforest. Brazil is allowing the Amazon to be felled at an alarming rate, but Indigenous tribes, scientists and activists are fighting back. Sophie McNeill reports.

The fight to contain coronavirus. Have critical mistakes left Australia and our frontline medical workers dangerously exposed? Doctors, patients and health practitioners talk about confronting the virus for the first time.

Amazon is a corporate colossus that dominates the global retail landscape, but it also collects a staggering amount of personal data about its customers. Former high-level insiders reveal how the company achieved its success.

The coronavirus outbreak created a public health emergency that unleashed a financial wrecking ball through our economy. Capturing history in the making David Speers follows the political scramble, with access to key players.

How the cruise of a lifetime turned into a deadly nightmare. Passengers and day trippers were trapped when NZ's most active volcano erupted. Were tourists warned of the danger and could more have been done to prevent tragedy?

The healthcare workers on the frontlines of the fight against coronavirus. Four Corners has captured video diaries, interviews and footage with deeply personal accounts from staff in hospitals and GP clinics across Australia.

As the shocking death toll continues to rise, President Trump's calls for states to reopen could have catastrophic consequences. We track the halting federal response, early warnings, missed opportunities and mixed messages.

How brutal politics derailed climate policy in Australia. Several former senior public servants speak about flawed decision making and squandered opportunities by parties on all sides of the political spectrum over a decade.

How the Ruby Princess became an incubator for infection, leaving passengers and staff dangerously exposed. An alarming picture emerges of crucial decisions by the cruise operator and the actions of Australian authorities.

One of the world's poorest countries, North Korea use breathtaking tricks to circumvent UN sanctions and outwit the west. Money laundering, arms smuggling, insurance fraud and human trafficking finance its nuclear arsenal.

An in-depth look at the hunt for a COVID-19 vaccine. From extraordinary scientific hurdles to extreme moral and ethical dilemmas, Australian scientists have had to overcome missed opportunities and a lack of preparedness.

AI enables machines to 'think' at a speed and depth far beyond human capacity, unleashing incredible possibilities but also the potential for harm. Will we see a new cold war as China and the US battle for tech supremacy?

How coronavirus spread among our most vulnerable elderly residents. We examine Australia's second most deadly coronavirus cluster, Newmarch House aged care facility, where 34 staff and 37 residents were infected and 19 died.

Australia's aviation crisis and the future of flying. Aviation is a high profile casualty of the coronavirus pandemic, our second major carrier Virgin was on the brink of collapse. What went wrong and is the industry viable?

The long road to recovery after the Black Summer bushfires. Despite millions in donations and promises of government assistance, communities such as Cobargo still live in terrible conditions and fear they have been forgotten.

In a searing and deeply personal story, Stan Grant gives voice to the frustration and hurt that has defined the life experience of so many Indigenous Australians and explores why George Floyd's death resonates so profoundly.

Witness the daily struggles of doctors and hospital staff in Cremona as they battle to keep coronavirus patients alive. Medical staff fight off emotion, fatigue and fear as numbers continued to climb in the north of Italy.

The financial scandal and human cost of Australia's workers compensation schemes. Some injured workers say their lives have been ruined by insurers hell-bent on avoiding payouts. We examine the methods used to assess claims.

Four Corners investigates the claims of a worldwide protest movement against wireless 5G technology, exploring how it works and the scientific studies undertaken into whether the technology is actually a threat to our health.

We reveal how 'big plastic' used clever marketing campaigns to persuade consumers and environmental groups to carry the burden by recycling rather than reducing the amount of plastic manufactured, allowing exponential growth.

The second wave: what went so wrong in Victoria. How did COVID-19 escape into the community, wreaking havoc and putting the nation in peril. We examine failures by the authorities who were supposed to keep the community safe.

Violent crime and the mentally ill: how the mental health system is failing to protect the community and the patients themselves. Families reveal a disturbing picture of inadequate healthcare with devastating consequences.

The race to colonise outer space. We examine the extraordinary opportunities and challenges of the new space age as billionaire entrepreneurs make travel beyond our own planet possible, while nation states stake their claims.

How bribes, sex and money fuelled America's opioid epidemic. The aggressive marketing of dangerously potent and addictive opioids by pharmaceutical companies has driven an alarming rise in global drug addiction and death.

The Australian mercenaries selling paramilitary services to warlords and despots abroad. Four Corners investigates this murky world as conflicts are being fought by private military contractors operating as guns for hire.

The investigation that exposed a predatory network of human traffickers. With exclusive access to police and the court case, see how they brought down the family crime group behind the UK's biggest human slavery operation.

Australia is in a deep economic downturn, decades of growth halted by the coronavirus pandemic. After the closure of our borders and extensive restrictions, we investigate the financial fallout and what the future may hold.

Incredible stories of survival from the Beirut blast zone. Adam Harvey pieces together the story of the explosion, tracking down people who filmed or witnessed the blast, as well as business owners and emergency responders.

How digital dating became a predators' playground. In a joint investigation for Four Corners and triple j Hack, Avani Dias uncovers a deeply troubling pattern of sexual assault and rape facilitated by the use of Tinder.

Breaking the silence about sexual abuse in sport. Around the world sporting codes have been engulfed in scandal with revelations about the sexual abuse of young athletes by coaches, and administrators accused of covering up.

With just over a week before polling day, can Donald Trump again defy the polls and his critics and secure a second presidential term? Michael Brissenden examines key states and voting blocs in this fierce political dogfight.

In first hand accounts the class of 2020 reflect on how the global pandemic upended their final year of school. Students from across Australia discuss the uncertainty and disruption of lockdown and their plans for the future.

Parliament House in Canberra is a hotbed of political intrigue and high tension - but what happens after hours? Louise Milligan investigates the conduct of some of the most senior politicians in the nation.