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The BBC has apologised for misleading viewers in a documentary about the town of Wilcannia in far west New South Wales, after accusations of unethical behaviour.
Hidden Australia: Black in the Outback, presented by British actor Reggie Yates, drew outrage in the town when it was shown overseas and made available online earlier this year.
The production focused on alcohol abuse in the town, and Barkindji residents felt there was an unfair lack of emphasis on positive aspects of life in the town and efforts to address the problems.
It featured scenes of locals drinking alcohol at the home of Barkindji man Owen Whyman, but did not explain the gathering was a wake following the funeral of a close friend and prominent community member.
The BBC initially said the matter would be investigated, and issued a more detailed response on Wednesday.
"We now understand that the scene which includes footage from a wake has been edited in a way which is misleading," a BBC spokesman said.
"This clearly falls below the standards we expect of program makers and for this we would like to apologise.
"We are speaking with everyone from [the production company] Sundog [Pictures] involved in the filming and editing of the scene to find out what happened, and remind them of the BBC's editorial standards.
Wilcannia resident Brendon Adams, who runs the town's community radio station and is involved with the local men's group and rugby league competition, said there were serious efforts being made by locals to overcome the town's social issues.
The BBC spokesman said producers had tried to include positive angles.
"The program aimed to show what life is like for the local community, and whilst we can't include everything we film, the program did feature the work of the youth centre and a traditional hunt," he said.
Mr Whyman said producers had not gained permission to be included in the documentary from many of the subjects, and that producers said the production would be a positive look at life in the town.
The BBC said it had been told by Sundog Pictures that participants had given their consent to be filmed "at every stage", "and were given a clear understanding of the program's aims."
Topics: documentary, indigenous-policy, wilcannia-2836