AnnuAl REPORT 2011-2012 - Sbs

Significant coverage for the year included:
Afghanistan
Karen Middleton and camera operator jeff Kehl were
embedded with Australian Defence Force troops in tarin
Kowt and filed several stories from the base. WNA also
ran extracts of Dateline journalist Yalda Hakim’s exclusive
interview with Hamid Karzai ahead of its broadcast.
September 11 – Anniversary
brian thomson provided extensive coverage of the
10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in
the United States.
Burma
WNA made its first visit into burma with Foreign Minister
bob carr. brian thomson travelled with the Minister as he
met Aung San Suu Kyi and President thein Sein.
Carbon Price
there was special coverage of the carbon price
legislation including an interview with Prime Minister
julia Gillard the day it was passed through the Australian
Parliament. WNA also reported on the impact on people
from all communities, and produced an in-depth report
on comparative tax schemes in other major western
countries.
Papua New Guinea
WNA provided extensive coverage of the political
turmoil in Papua New Guinea. brian thomson went there
when Peter O’Neill removed Sir Michael Somare as Prime
Minister and Kathy Novak covered the elections, including
an exclusive interview with O’Neill.
World News Australia Awards
brian thomson won a UN Media Peace Award for his
story about allegations of Rio tinto’s involvement in
suppressing the bougainville independence movement in
Papua New Guinea.
the program continued to receive recognition as a highlyesteemed
contributor to quality Australian journalism.
Dateline
From February 2012, current affairs program Dateline
aired in its new time-slot of 9:30pm–10:30pm on
tuesdays as part of SbS’s Know Why tuesday initiative,
with both presenters – Yalda Hakim and Mark Davis –
contributing reports to the program while broadcasting
topical news live from overseas locations. examples of
such live broadcasts include a full hour devoted to the
Greek elections and financial crisis, presented by Mark
Davis, and Yalda Hakim’s comprehensive coverage of
Afghanistan, presented from Kabul.
Dateline reporter Yaara bou-Melhem was awarded the
prestigious Walkely Young Australian journalist of the
Year award in 2011 for her report Freedom’s call, an
investigation into the people’s democracy movement in
Syria. Yaara was also awarded a Walkley award in the
international Reporting category for her courageous work
in Syria and bahrain.
Dateline made international headlines this year with a
report by Yalda Hakim which disclosed new allegations in
relation to the massacre of 17 civilians in Afghanistan. Her
report, Anatomy of a Massacre, was broadcast on cNN,
Al jazeera, Nbc, cbS, Abc and was described by a
New York times journalist as an “inspired” report.
the program continues to attract a strong online
presence. One Dateline report, china’s Ghost cities,
attracted more than 1.34 million hits online and other
reports continued to attract large numbers.
Insight
insight is SbS’s unique platform for current affairs, ideas
and debate. this year insight took on some significant
changes, which have broadened and deepened its
editorial offering and resulted in a rise in audiences across
2011–12.
For the 2012 season insight moved from the 7:30pm
timeslot to 8:30pm timeslot as part of SbS’s Know Why
tuesday initiative. insight also developed a new set to
accompany its new format.
the new set, with distinctive insight colours provides a
warmer and more intimate forum. Distinctively there are
now key guests who join award winning journalist and
broadcaster jenny brockie in front of the broader audience.
insight’s average national audience rose 28 per cent
to 350,000 in the period january 2012 – june 2012,
compared to the same period in 2011 which averaged
274,000 viewers nationally.*
insight has continued to tackle thought-provoking topics,
in line with the SbS charter, with programs on polygamy,
parental abductions, arranged marriage, removing kids,
the beauty race and revenge.
* OZtAM – 5 city Metro; RegtAM – Aggregated Regional excl.WA; consolidated.
AnnuAl RepoRt 2011 – 2012 31