Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee, , 8:09:24 to 8:15:16
The committee examines SBS's editorial instructions to staff regarding the description of Hamas as militants rather than terrorists in news coverage.
Topics: Israel, National security
Speakers: Ms Mandi Wicks, Senator The Hon Sarah Henderson, Ms Jane Palfreyman, Unknown Speaker
Okay. Thank you. I want to turn to uh evidence you gave in the last Senate estimates. We discussed the SBS directive to staff not to use the term Hamas run health ministry. Uh Ms. Wicks defended the decision by saying that SBS audiences know what Hamas is because the SBS is clear in its coverage about Hamas being a terrorist organisation. Uh if that is the case, then why do the SBS's editorial guidelines instruct staff to describe
Sorry, Senator.
The question being well, why are SBS why do the SBS editorial guidelines include an instruction to staff to describe Hamas as militants?
Thanks, Senator. I'll pass over to Ms. Wicks.
Senator, we describe them as militants, but we also provide the additional context that they are designated as a terrorist organisation by the Australian government and many others.
But the instruction is that they are to be just not to be described as terrorists.
Correct. So SBS ourselves, we we don't refer to them, we don't refer to anyone as a terrorist, but we absolutely attribute that and we do give that context to our audiences by explaining that they are designated a terrorist organisation.
And so where do you give that context and where is that in your editorial guidelines?
It is I'm not sure which guidelines you're referring to there. We have a style guide and we have some editorial guidelines and within that and within our copy. So if there's a particular story that is of concern, we definitely do refer to Hamas being designated as a terrorist organisation frequently in our coverage. And we feel that there'sn't been enough context over time for audiences ultimately to understand who that organization is, what they stand for.
I'm just concerned because in relation to the evidence that you gave last time. So I'm looking at the editorial guidance anti-Semitism November 2023. You're familiar with that guidance? Can you explain why you are declining to call Hamas a terrorist organisation?
In the context of SBS referring to them as a terrorist organisation. So we attribute that claim to the organisation or the person making it, and frequently that is in regards to claiming that it is designated as a terrorist organisation by the Australian government.
Where is that in your guidelines?
I think you're referring to editorial guidance.
That's right, editorial guidance.
Yes. We also have we have a variety of guidance, um, which I don't have all of it at hand, but within that guidance, uh, there is absolutely a reference to the fact that we will describe them as a terrorist organisation as designated by the Australian government and many other uh
So why doesn't your editorial guidance reflect that then?
Again, Senator, I'm not privy to the exact document you have there. We have a number of documents uh which have a variety of context for our journalists and across across those documents, there absolutely is a reference to the fact that we do refer to Hamas as being a terrorist organization. I we could follow up and send that to you in highlights.
Well, I'd like you to do it now if you could, or or I could come back to you on that. Because I'm I don't see any reference to that at all. I mean I'm I'm obviously concerned about slanted coverage. And which obviously is contrary to your obligations to report impartially and accurately. And so I am concerned about that directive. Uh if there's other advice that you're giving your journalists where you're encouraging them to state that it's a terrorist organisation, I have not seen it. Is there is that in writing anywhere?
Yes, it is. I don't have the guidance to hand, but we absolutely in our guidance to staff note uh whether whether it is that document or another, um, and in our coverage, you would see many times that we have referred to it. In fact, I recall doing a search just prior to the Royal Commission where it came up hundreds of times that we had referred to Hamas as being designated as a terrorist organisation.
All right, well, I would appreciate if you could present shows provide that guidance because it certainly isn't reflected in the editorial guidance document that I have. Has that been updated? Is there a more recent version of that document?