Public media fronting up to delicate issues 

Australia: SBS faces questions over terminology & Eurovision

The Special Broadcasting Service has found itself in the crosshairs of public pressure over its editorial policies and whether or not it would boycott Eurovision if Israel was allowed to participate. 

This week, director of news Mandi Wicks issued a statement after the Sydney Morning Herald reported the broadcasters’ journalists were not allowed to use the term Palestine, despite the Australian government’s recognition of a state. “SBS historically used the term ‘Occupied Palestinian Territories’ to refer to the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and East Jerusalem,” Wicks said in a statement. “With the recent announcement by the Australian Government at the UN, SBS’s guidance is now to refer to the ‘Occupied Palestinian Territories, which Australia recognises as the State of Palestine’.”

Other broadcasters, including the ABC, have confronted similar issues over coverage of the war in the Middle East. The ABC’s guidance is that staff can refer to Palestine when referring to its geography, history, community and the intended state encompassing the Occupied Palestinian Territory, adding “it is still correct to refer to the ‘Occupied Palestinian Territory’ and in some circumstances ‘Occupied Palestinian Territory’ is preferred as it more clearly communicates the actual current status of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem”.

The SBS statement came as the broadcaster faced pressure over its decision to not join a boycott of the Eurovision song contest if Israel was allowed to participate, after public broadcasters from Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway said they would. Acting managing director, Jane Palfreyman, told a Senate hearing it was crucial to be impartial and not to state a position for or against. The BBC’s Director General also acknowledged it was a “difficult situation”, with the UK broadcaster yet to make a decision. 

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UK: Should the BBC World Service be funded from the defence budget?

The BBC World Service’s most recent Controller, Liliane Landor, said she is “unable to support” a reported proposal that would see the BBC World Service part funded from the UK’s defence budget. 

The Guardian reported that BBC leaders were lobbying the government to diversify its funding of the World Service, which at the moment is funded both via the licence fee and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). This is part of a longer-term effort to get the UK government to take up all the funding for the World Service. However, as part of larger cuts to the development budget, the FCDO has warned the World Service it will need to make savings.

The proposal for some funding to come from the defence budget has alarmed some. “I find myself wholly unable to support the BBC’s decision to pursue this avenue,” said Liliane Landor, who ended her term as World Service Controller last year. “Journalism cannot be linked or subordinated to defence – and, dare I say, even soft power can be problematic, despite my past advocacy of it.” 

Another former controller, Mary Hockaday, was more open to the idea, speaking to the Beeb Watch podcast. “As I understand it … there is a conversation which is pointing out that activity by the BBC World Service which is specifically focussed on disinformation, has a relationship to security, which makes for a legitimate conversation. … I do think in a world where issues around security … – civil resilience but also international global security – as that conversation gets broader, of course you have to have some pragmatism about where sources of funding might come from, these conversations are worth having. But it’s really important – if they go anywhere – that the safeguards are there, that the commitments and the mechanisms for the independence are there.”

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South Korea: KBS leaders file complaint to halt their removal

The President and Vice-President of the Korean Broadcasting System have filed a constitutional complaint, after the government amended the Broadcasting Act in a way that could see their terms end early. 

The amendment seeks to expand the KBS board, while reducing the number of political appointments. A new board is due to be appointed in November, and the amendment gives them the licence to appoint a new president, vice president and auditor. The complaint was filed on 26 September, after the amendment was passed in early August. 

However, opinion is split on the purpose and intention behind the revision – whether it is an honest attempt to futureproof the public broadcaster against interference, or a move to oust senior leadership and board members. Korean newspapers and KBS unions are divided on the issue. 

In their complaint, Jangbeom Park and Kim Woo-sung said the act “violates Article 15 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of occupational choice, if a president or vice president appointed through due process is forced to step down before completing their term due to the amended law.” Their term is due to expire in 2027. They also reportedly plan to file for a provisional injunction. 

Park and Kim join six current board members in taking legal action against the amendment. Former KBS President Kim Eui-chul also took legal action after he was dismissed in 2023. 

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South Africa: Signs of hope for the SABC

The long-ailing South African Broadcasting Corporation has secured an unqualified audit opinion for the second year running, while it now boasts over 1.5 million registered users for their streaming platform, SABC+. It was welcome news for the broadcaster, which only launched its OTT platform in June 2024. 

The latest annual report also showed strong figures in their digital output, boasting a 290 percent year-on-year increase in podcast downloads. The Group CEO, Nomsa Chabeli, said that “Receiving an unqualified audit opinion for two consecutive years signifies that the SABC is making progress towards restoring stability, strengthening governance, and meeting its public obligations.” While the licence fee remains a major problem (with an evasion rate of above 80 percent), the annual report showed licence fee revenue grew by 10 percent year-on-year. 

However, question marks remain hanging over the public broadcaster. The debate over whether to replace the licence fee with an alternative funding model continues to rumble on, and there are still fears about the long-term financial sustainability of the public media entity. 

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