Of course SBS has never been far from controversy. Controversy and discontent, whingeing and whining, are the obvious outcomes when politicians seeking votes try to toady to ethnic minorities instead of giving them the chance to become Australian.

With the plethora of different ethnic groups here, it would be impossible to satisfy all of them. Some group is always going to be under-served or left out altogether.

SBS, like the bone-headed and failed policy of multiculturalism, simply should not exist. If immigrants are so interested in countries they left – and there is no real evidence that most of them are – they should consider returning to those wonderful and interesting countries.

Pandering to minorities via SBS and multiculturalism at the expense of majority Australians was only ever in the best interests of the landed gentry like Malcolm Fraser who,in his remoteness and arrogance was never personally affected by his sell-off of Australian culture and national identity

Firstly, a declaration. I am an immigrant from the UK, who arrived in Australia from Northern England at the age of 3. I consider myself Australian-British. I worked at SBS for three years until July 2003 in the projects and communications division of SBS Radio. I am now in the process of completing my PhD on the public policy influence and development of SBS. I have spent the last 2.5 years researching the creation and development of SBS, and the policies which inform it.

This article contains no evidence to support its claims. The author clearly has a vested interest in a certain ethno-political position. To support his claims, he cites the opinions of others with similar vested interests. Few facts are presented, and those that are are incorrect or wilfully obfuscated. For example, the Vietnamese news program he refers to was indeed removed from the schedule following community protest. This occurred before Shaun Brown's tenure as MD, during the time that former MD Nigel Milan was in charge. Milan was apologetic to the community, and responded quickly to remove the offending program from the SBS schedule. This fact is conveniently blurred within this article to support the author's position, when the facts clearly undermine his argument.

I am familiar with Sasha Uzanov's complaints about SBS, which again are not informed by any research or demonstrated fact, and are also made from the point of view of a vested, and disgruntled, interest.

The kind of inter-ethnic dispute this author apparently disdains are in fact the basis of his own article. Where is your evidence, Mr Miletic? Other than the complaints of similarly disgruntled people from similar ethnic backgrounds, where are your facts?

This sort of argument invariably leads to the kind of xenophobic and ignorant response provided so helpfully here by Leigh in the first comment. There is no place in Australia for these inter-ethnic and, yes, racist arguments that are imported from the "old countries".

Emma Dawson.

Further, while those such as this author and Mr Uzanov look at SBS through biased eyes - seeing evidence of their old inter-ethnic disagreements too easily - those at SBS strive to operate free of such prejudices. SBS is not perfect, but the claims made in this article are informed by, perhaps unwitting, prejudice.

As to the idea that SBS is concerned with the views of "overseas governments", this is patent nonsense. SBS's role is to provide news and entertainment that is Australian based in content, but presented in languages other than English, as well as to provide a multicultural view of the world in the English language.

Those that assess SBS's impartiality must be uninterested in the issues they examine. Therefore, a complaint from someone of Jewish background who identifies as a Zionist about bias towards the Palestinian point of view , for example, should not be cited as evidence of bias at SBS, but recognised as a prejudiced perspective in itself.

The claims in this article are unsupported by any impartial research, and are unhelpful to the debate about the future of SBS. SBS has been highly successful, as has the Australian experience of multiculturalism. The shift in understanding of what it is to be Australian that has been fostered by multiculturalism, and in large part through the work of SBS, means that Australia has moved on from its colonial past and embraced a new, pluralist but uniquely Australian identity, rather than continuing as an outpost of the old British empire. It is this that people such as Leigh cannot abide, and that people such as I celebrate about modern Australia. This achievement has been under sustained attack since 1996. It must be defended. Articles such as this play right into the hands of racists.

SBS does need to be reviewed. Its role in modern Australia needs to be reconsidered. But this must be done impartially and without the interference of anyone who would seek to push one particular ethnic world view, whether that be Greek, Macedonian, Jewish, Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese or British.

Emma Dawson.

When I read the article I was horrified to think that my beloved SBS could be run by a mysterious cabal of foreign propaganda spinners. SBS will never make everyone happy - where ever there is ethnic divisions, one (or both) side(s) will feel like they are getting a bad rap. SBS is the only source of international news on Australian television that ever goes beyond coarse stereotypes to investigate the background of events unfolding overseas.

The accusations made in the article are very serious, and if there is evidence to substantiate them I will be extremely disappointed and angry. I hope that Emma is right in saying they are completely unfounded. Its bad enough that the ABC Board has been stacked with political appointees and right-wing cultural warriors, but to think that there may be nefarious influences at work in the SBS to the extent suggested in the article is really disheartening.

Emma

you would have to be a one-eyed lefty doing their PhD on public policy influence to not be able to see the blatant anti-Israel, anti-US bias in the SBS news coverage.

People who point this plain-as-day fact out are not necessarily blinded by their ethnic background, nor need they be racist, or xenophobic, or deserving of cheap name calling.

And before you ask, no I am not Jewish or Greek etc.

Go home, watch the news on SBS and pretend you are not yourself today and voted for Howard, a lot of people did.

The ultimate umpire in these matters is the Australian Broadcasting Authority, toothless tiger though it is. I thought I'd have a look at the ABA's website to see what complaints had been lodged about SBS World News and what findings were made. The only one I could find concerned an allegation of anti-Israeli bias http://www.aba.gov.au/newspubs/radio_TV/investigations/broadcast_operations/documents/television/2003/1247.pdf And what did the ABA find? "The ABA accepts the explanation provided by the broadcaster that SBS broadcast a range of views which were balanced over time and across programs." (Mind you they did find SBS was tardy in answering the original complaint)

Seems to me that allegations of systematic bias are easy to make, especially if you hold strong views. If bias on SBS is a "plain-as-day fact" DJ1, perhaps you might put a complaint in?

Dear Leigh and Emma,

The problems with SBS is not about bias nor multiculturalism-- it is about accountability, management and government control.

As for you Emma Dawson, my article gave plenty of evidence-- and in fact I would need another 10000 words to really show what SBS has been up to....some of the things I said were quite chilling, but hey, for you to admit that, you would need to see past your rose-coloured view of the world.

Am I biased?...maybe...but hey I DONT GET TAX DOLLARS, now do I?..I am a private citizen--- and I do NOT have a Government Charter that I have to adhere to, now do I?

People like you Emma are really part of the problem. My motives are are not relevant-- the question is am I telling the truth?......and if the answer is yes, well then, what IS YOUR REAL MOTIVE?

You mention both Nigel Milan and Sasha Uzunov- some time ago, Mr. Uzunov sent an email to Nigel Milan about an incident that ocurred in 1990, when a couple of film buyers for SBS were actually bribed by a foreign government to buy certain filsm. In his response Nigel Milan actually implied that thsi event actually DID happen, but that it was so long ago before his time as the MD etc, etc.......this , Ms. Dawson IS ONLY THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG!

The fact is that SBS has an obligation to adhere to its Charter - and not to engage in petty games, amatuer sociology and to spread disinformation and basically defecate on the very people it claims to represent.

If a journalist cant report the truth, then he should try another career-- an no amount of psuedo-shock, horror and surprise by the likes of you can change that.

As for your claims of my motives and bias-- open any newspaper and tell me if 90% of articles do not have an angle or bias behind them-- what are you saying-- that only certain ethnic groups are allowed to be baised whilst not others?

B.

Thanks for your comments Emma Dawson, agree that Branko has presented no dramatic evidence here. If he has unearthed real corruption by some staff then Great, go to the police and follow it up. But doing a Pontius Pilate is a core function of management, i'm not even mildly surprised if they fobbed off bad news from the past.

Have to admit i read article hoping it was on the rapid decline in SBS News, which i think is now worse than ABC and bumping on commercial tv level. I suppose once the barbarians had f**ked over ABC sufficiently they realised how SBS showed them up. Can't have a properly informed electorate now can we? Especially not regarding Israels murderous repression of Palestinians, Israeli Arabs, and the Lebanese, or the terrorism we're forcing with our Endless War for Oil. All such topics are taboo for the infantile muppets on Australian screens.

Leigh, never mind Emma Dawson. Multiculturalist zealots like her are so intent on imposing their own warped ideology they will take no notice of the what the majority of Australians want.

Read Ms. Dawson's nauseating OLO article "Bring a plate, barrack for the team" if you need a pertinent example of her pernicious multicultural delusions. According to Ms. Dawson, preserving Australia’s Western culture, history and traditions is cultural imperialism. Recognising our predominately Anglo-Celtic heritage is blatant racism. Encouraging social cohesion and shared national identity is an imposition on migrant minorities.

Considering her captivation with the cult of the minority, it is therefore unsurprising that Ms. Dawson would so vehemently defend the propaganda machine of the multicultural industry.

It seems I have to go slow for the dummies from both sides of the political spectrum.

OK... here goes, my 7 pillars of public broadcasting-

#1 Journalism is about reporting the facts

#2 Good journalism is about reporting all of the facts truthfully

#3 If you receive public funds, you must adhere to the rules set out by the government

#4 If you claim to be representing a certain sector of society, then do so without fear nor favour.

#5 If caught breaking the law, take the punishment and dont hide behind a whole heap of public service babel.

#6 Do not take info/bribes/services from foriegn regimes- especially those with Amnesty International records as long as a country mile.

#7 Do not hire people with murky connections.

Now I trust everyone understands this - inlcuding those mental midgets that define themselves as being either 'Left' or 'Right' wing.

If SBS is biased then the other commercial stations are equally so. I think the point here is that there is no such thing as perfect objectivity, which is why SBS acts as a great counterbalance to 7, 9 and 10.

More important than the integrity of any one given station is the need to have access to a wide range of perspectives. Even those who dislike SBS must recognise the importance of alternatives to mainstream thought.

If SBS is biased then the other commercial stations are equally so. I think the point here is that there is no such thing as perfect objectivity, which is why SBS acts as a great counterbalance to 7, 9 and 10.

More important than the integrity of any one given station is the need to have access to a wide range of perspectives. Even those who dislike SBS must recognise the importance of alternatives to the mainstream.

Ever since the great lie-fest of 2002, when the case for war was MADE - literally, Marlene and I made it our business to scrutinise the world's media on the web every morning.

We compare that to the TV news - starting with the German (English) news on SBS - and working our way all the way through to Lateline on the ABC. We record stuff on the set-top hard-drive and make comparisons. It's a labor of love, but we have become current-affairs junkies. Marlene is disabled, so this is a great way for her to keep her "hand in".

Conclusion: SBS World News was easily the best, fairest, most informative, and least likely to contain the ready-made propaganda pieces trotted out of the sausage-machine.

For those not already in the know, the phenomenon of the sausage-machine has crippled the US media. The modus operandi was to howl about left-wing bias, while forcing government approved (and sometimes made) news nuggets down the throats of the news staff. Those who resisted were discredited and often lost their jobs.

So it was cruel to see Senator Alston stamp the courage out of our beloved ABC News and current affairs. We watched as it drifted away, like a leaf down a stream. Truly a monstrous theft - the hearts and brains of the Australian people went with it. It all went without a murmur.

Senator Alston - jihadist for the bogus war on terr'r - oh well done!

But don't worry Branko. We are seeing the all new singing, dancing news team at SBS yielding to the inevitable pressure of the sausage factory. It should be easy now they are the last ones standing.

If any of the SBS team are reading this thread - our hearts go out to you.

Chris and Marlene - XX

I am curious to know what would satisfy the Status Quo Preservers in our community. I sometimes watch the Dubai news broadcast, they sometimes show the horrific results of American bombings in Iraq: People going around picking up the blown-apart limbs of children, etc.

SBS never shows graphic footage like this even though a balanced coverage would seem to require it since we get to see and hear all about all the tragedies that befall 'Allied troops' and their families. Despite this SBS is accused of bias - I think they are simply not biased enough for 'the Coalition of the Willing'.

DJ1 - I don't believe I engaged in any "cheap name calling" - such as "one-eyed lefty", for example!

Branko, using capital letters (which is shouting, in internet etiquette) doesn't make your argument any stronger. You simply do not support any of these accusations with facts; rather, you repeat assertions made by others that are similarly unsupported by facts.

You say "the question is, am I telling the truth?". No, I don't believe you are, and no matter how you shout or repeat yourself, the fact remains your argument is unsupported by independent research.

What is my real motive? To find the truth, to encourage dispassionate research and debate. I repeat, I'm in the middle of a full time PhD on this subject - I've done my research, and there is nothing of substance to support your claims.

As for calling people "mental midgets" - please, have some decorum. You are just proving that your argument can't be sustained without resorting to personal attack.

For everyone's information: I don't consider myself left or right. I am conducting independent research and have no agenda. Oligarch may be interested to know that I have recently co-edited a book entitled "Social Cohesion In Australia". I do not support any so-called cult of the minority. Australia is not Britain; I know, I was born in the UK and have lived there as an adult and we are NOT a British society culturally.

I'll be replying more fully in my own article for OLO soon.

Emma.

Emma, I did not claim that Australia was still British. As a second generation Australian of German descent, I can assure you that I have no misty-eyed longing for the grand old days of the British Empire.

Australia has long outgrown its former status as a "branch office of empire". Our forebears succeeded in forming a unique Australian identity, distinct from Britishness. Heavily Anglo-Celtic influenced, but uniquely Australian nonetheless.

Australians aren't interested in a return to the pre-1901 past. Rather, they are sick and tired of being constantly denigrated with the mantra that we Australians have no worthwhile culture of our own and we simply have to accept an entirely new extrinsic vision for Australia - multiculturalism. An ideology which places the culture of the migrant minority above our own distinctive Australian culture and Western civilisational background. An ideology which undervalues the cultural unity required to keep a nation together. An ideology which preaches diversity at the risk of transforming Australia into a mere cohabitating space for disparate ethnic tribes.

Our identity, shared values and common national memory are being sacrificed in order to make non-Western newcomers feel more at ease. Immigrants no longer arrive in Australia to become Australian. Assimilation has become a dirty word, and recolonisation is now the unstated reality.

On a side note Emma, have you read a recent report by UK-based think tank Civitas? In its paper entitled "A Nation of Immigrants?", Civitas warned that immigration could lead to the social and political fragmentation of Britain and that it may have reached a "tipping point" beyond which it could no longer be seen as a single nation. It seems that even the Brits aren't really British anymore.

Emma, its nice that you want to polish up my act, but it seems you are doing your best to avoid the points I am making.

I realise you have a penchant for neo-Marxist relavitism and believe that your "idealogical superiority" warrants you to claim that I need video evidence signed in triplicate by the Pope and a JP before I am to be believed, but that is just your miserly way of not facing the horrible truth.

Like--
1. Former SBS presenter Vladmir Lusic has given at least 18 interviews to radio programs, newspapers and magazines about his removal from SBS. In all interviews, which span a 16 year period he has maintained the exact same line - that the Yugoslav government wanted his removal from the Vox Populi program and through its consulate in Sydney it used its influence within SBS to achieve this as his programs were upsetting it.

2. Evidence you say?--- look at the SBS Charter, specifically the part that says its programming should reflect the contemporary ethnic make-up of Australia. Then go to any TV Guide. Unless most people in this country happen to be inner-western Sydney urban gay proffesionals with an interest in Buddhism and a penchant for conspiracy theories, what relevance does the Charter have to reality?-- I'll make it easy for you-- NONE!

3.I am unsure what motivates Sasha Uzunov, however one point, which you seem to avoid like the plague that he makes is 150% spot on-- and that is, SBS should show equality to all and not play favourites. Although it does not bother me as such, it is interesting to note that there are large numbers of SBS staff that are of Greek background whilst none seem to be of their protagonists....all purely a coincidence I am sure!

And of course, there is the re-broadcasting of the news from China- from a government whose human rights record is in the Middle Ages.

And you have the hide to pick my words apart…to think that my taxes once paid your salary so as you could live in pixie-land!..yuk!

Emma, after reading some of your remarks more closely, I must say that you are in the running for the Fidel Castro People's Choice Award for Manure Distribution.

For example, in one of your earlier attempted rebutals of my piece you said "… the Vietnamese news program he refers to was indeed removed from the schedule following community protest. This occurred before Shaun Brown's tenure as MD, during the time that former MD Nigel Milan was in charge."

Now, if you read my article you would note that I never referred to Shaun Brown as the MD, but rather as "Shaun Brown, Head of SBS TV", but I am stooping down to your petty levels now aren't I?

The fact is that regardless of who said what to whom and when, the question remains, as to what kind of moronic organisation would pull such a stunt anyway?...the answer of course is SBS.....I am just surprised they didn't start running the Voice of the Khymer Rouge radio program for the local Cambodian community?...I am sure you would find a way to stick up for that decision too.

And then when you can’t discredit me in a meaningful fashion, you revert to racism.

You know Emma, using my ethnic background to try and devalue my argument is about as low as you can go--- but since you once worked at SBS, I am not surprised.

Furthermore, you are annoyed that I refer to those on the Lunar Right and the Loony Left as ‘mental midgets’….are you admitting that you are one of these weirdos that define themselves as such?...if you really must know, I firmly believe that people who go around calling themselves ‘Left wing’ or ‘Right wing’ are actually mentally retarded.

And lastly, in terms of your line , “The kind of inter-ethnic dispute this author apparently disdains are in fact the basis of his own article.”

Sorry Comrade Emma, but its SBS that started this by taking sides in the first place and by not being objective like a proper news provider- so I am just pointing out the obvious.