''Dateline'' is an Australian television international current affairs program broadcast on

SBS Television The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from tax revenue. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS World Movies, SBS ...

. Since its debut as ''Dateline World'' at on Friday 19 October 1984, it has focused largely on international events, often in developing or warring nations. In 2015 the program changed its format, changing from one-hour episodes featuring multiple stories, to half-hour single subject episodes. The series focuses on under-reported stories from around the globe, with a documentary style. It is broadcast on Tuesdays at 9.30pm following Insight, and all episodes are available to view on SBS On Demand. It is the longest-running international current affairs program in Australia.

History

''Dateline World'' premiered at on Friday 19 October 1984, changing its name the following year to simply ''Dateline''. Since its inception, ''Dateline'' has focused largely on international events, often in developing or warring nations. It covered topics such as: global conflict, environmental policies, social justice, crime, women's rights, social change, and global politics. ''Dateline'' reporters have covered events including: the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

, violence in

East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...

(2006), the

war in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Macedonian Empire * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan, a series of campaigns in ...

, global terror attacks, the rise of

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

, the European refugee crisis, the United States under Trump,

Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...

, and pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.. From 1984 until 2015, an hour-long program featuring multiple stories was anchored by a studio host. In 2015 a new format was introduced, changing to half-hour single-subject episodes., and the role of studio host was removed. ''Dateline'' is the longest-running international current affairs program in Australia, celebrating its 40th year in 2024.

Personnel

Early program hosts included

Jana Wendt Jana Bohumila Wendt ( ; born 9 May 1956) is an Australian Gold Logie award-winning television journalist, reporter and writer. Early life Wendt was born in Melbourne to Czech parents who emigrated to Australia in 1949, as political refugees ...

and Pria Viswalingam. Mark Davis, hosted ''Dateline'' between 2003 and 2004, earning several nominations for the

Walkley Awards The annual Walkley Awards are presented in Australia to recognise and reward excellence in journalism. They cover all media including print, television, documentary, radio, photographic and online media. The Gold Walkley is the highest prize and ...

George Negus George Edward Negus AM (13 March 1942 – 15 October 2024) was an Australian journalist, author, television and radio presenter specialising in international affairs. He was a pioneer of Australian broadcast journalism, first appearing on the ...

took over from 2005 until 2010, being replaced by his predecessor Mark Davis along with Yalda Hakim, another ''Dateline'' journalist.

Helen Vatsikopoulos Helen Vatsikopoulos (born 1 January 1960) is an Australian journalist, academic and documentary film–maker. Life Helen Vatsikopoulos was born in Florina and early in her life lived in Laimos, a village in Western Macedonia, Greece. One of ...

also spent time as host. In December 2012, Yalda Hakim resigned from ''Dateline'' to join

BBC World News BBC News is an international English-language pay television channel owned by BBC Global News Ltd. – a subsidiary of BBC Studios – and operated by the BBC News division of the BBC. The network carries news bulletins, documentaries, an ...

, and was replaced by former

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

presenter Anjali Rao in February 2013. In 2015 under the new program format the role of studio host was removed. Since then the half-hour episodes have been fronted by a team of reporters, as well as guest reporters from within SBS News and Current Affairs, such as Marc Fennell,

Janice Petersen Janice Petersen (born 1977) is an Australian television presenter. She is currently the presenter of ''SBS World News'' on Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). Early life Petersen was born in 1977 to parents of South African lineage in Sydney. ...

Jan Fran Jeanette Francis (Arabic: جانيت فرانسيس), better known as Jan Fran, is a Lebanese-Australian journalist and presenter. She has worked with the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), and served as co-host of current affairs and satire ...

, and

Laura Murphy Oates Laura may refer to: People and fictional characters * Laura (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters with the name * Laura, muse of Petrarch's poetry * Laura, the British code name for the World War I Belgian spy Marthe Cno ...

. ''Datelines executive producers have included: Mike Carey (1999–2007), Peter Charley (2007–2014), and Bernadine Lim (2014–2018). Georgina Davies was promoted to executive producer from series producer in 2018.

Broadcast and description

''Dateline'' is a half-hour program broadcast on SBS Television on Tuesdays at 9.30pm, following ''Insight''. All episodes are available to view on SBS On Demand. There are 15 seasons available online.The series runs for 32 episodes a year. ''Dateline'' focuses on under-reported stories from around the globe, with a documentary style.

Awards

The long-running current affairs program has accumulated many awards over its lifetime, including

Walkley Award The annual Walkley Awards are presented in Australia to recognise and reward excellence in journalism. They cover all media including print, television, documentary, radio, photographic and online media. The Gold Walkley is the highest prize and ...

Logie Award The TV Week Logie Awards (known colloquially as The Logies) is an annual ceremony celebrating and honouring the best shows and stars in Television in Australia, Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The eve ...

s, and

UNAA Media Peace Awards The United Nations Association of Australia (UNAA) is the official United Nations Association of Australia, working on behalf of the United Nations core body to promote its overall aims and ideals, and equally seeking to build support for the ...

, New York Festival Awards, an Australian Screen Editors Guild Award, as well as nominations for the

One World Media Awards One World Media is a non-profit organisation, registered in the UK as a charitable trust. It is based in London. The organisation describes its aim as supporting strong vibrant and independent media that empower citizens, promote justice and contrib ...

, the Association of International Broadcasting Awards, and the Asian Academy Awards

References

External links