President of East Timor awards SBS his highest honour

27 July 2009 – The President of East Timor, His Excellency Dr Jose Ramos-Horta, today presented SBS with his country’s highest honour, the Medalho de Merito de Timor-Leste, for service to humanity.

SBS is the first institution to receive the award, which was accepted by SBS Managing Director Shaun Brown during a ceremony at SBS’s Sydney headquarters today.

The award citation states:

“For the past three decades the SBS has been a voice of democracy, freedom, justice and truth that otherwise would remain unheard. The SBS has provided a brand of ethical leadership that espouses the journalistic principles of truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, fairness and public accountability.

“Through its unique provision of multilingual and multicultural media services SBS have empowered audiences with a rich understanding of the world around them.

“In its dedication to giving voice to stories, communities, and struggles in the world that are tacitly ignored by other media, and by doing so in the languages of relevance of those communities that would otherwise have limited access to these stories, SBS plugs disparate populations into a global citizenry with a solidarity of access to voice and knowledge.

“SBS has drawn attention to the forgotten places in the world and to the overlooked victims of war. SBS’s commitment to world news and social progress not only reflects Australia’s multicultural society, it plays a key role in the development of multicultural Australia. SBS continues to maintain the highest standards of journalistic independence and integrity.”

SBS Managing Director Shaun Brown said:

“It was truly an honour to accept this award on behalf of everyone who works or has worked at SBS. It is recognition of the organisation’s determination to tell the stories that other media organisations won’t or can’t. Across all of our platforms our commitment to editorial independence and integrity is paramount and helps us to bring Australians an unvarnished view of the world and all that is happening in it.”