The revelation that staff at SBS News have been warned off covering “turn-off” issues such as the Middle East, refugees, Aboriginal issues and Ebola is deeply disturbing but will not be surprising to Crikey readers.
Last year we blew the whistle on plans to make Dateline — SBS’ only investigative current affairs program — more “cheerful” after sacking most of its journalists and a handful of production staff.
As we reveal today, SBS staff have been threatened with an “investigation” if they continue leaking to other media outlets about what’s really going on at the public broadcaster.
We also hear that ratings — not the quality of their journalism — is considered a top performance indicator in some SBS journalists’ employment contracts.
SBS is a public broadcaster. If its journalists are being told to “go light” and not pursue serious news stories, Australians deserve to know about it.
As a media outlet, SBS should also hold transparency and accountability as sacred. After all, it’s what all journalists, including those at SBS, demand from other organisations that receive public funding.
How bizarre that ‘reality’ (?) shows attract large TV audiences while SBS may be backing off from reporting real world events.
Our public broadcasting news is in danger of being increasingly contrived and less factual. We accept this from commercial stations but not the ABC & SBS.
There seems to be an inverse ratio between factual reportage & ratings and general consumption – how else to explain 2GB, the mudorc shitsheets and commercial TV?
Never underestimate the propensity of most people to fail to recognise their own best interest, putting the lie to PJK’s mantra (from his mentor Big Jack Lang) -“always put your money on self interest as you know it’s trying!”.