Founding anchor of SBS World News Australia, George Donikian, has slammed SBS over their refusal to recognise the Armenian genocide.

In a video created by the Greek Armenian for Australian screenings of The Promise, he said, “I’m ashamed to see that our multicultural broadcaster has chosen not to call what happened at the turn of the 20th century a genocide because it says it’s following the Australian government’s official stance. Now I understand the subtleties of politics, but I think it’s even more important to tell the truth.”

In response to questioning by Senator Ludlam, SBS Managing Director Michael Ebid told Senate estimates in May that SBS News and Current Affairs has a policy that instructs reporters to refer to this time as “a mass killing of Armenians considered by many to have been a genocide, which Turkey denies” explaining, “I think, you know, as long as the Australian government doesn’t call it a genocide, I think it is very difficult for us to do that. We would probably change our protocol if the Australian government had a different perspective on it.” This has angered the Armenian Australian community.

While Turkish governments have continued to maintain the idea that they were putting down a revolution, Mr Donikian says he “begs to differ”.

“I say it was genocide and to suggest all three groups have lied over the years and even colluded to tell the same story about what happened is both unimaginable and grotesque,” he said of the Greeks and Assyrians who were also victims.

Mr Donikian’s grandfather was a survivor of the genocide, one of the 400,000 Armenians who escaped, and in the video Donikian reveals details of him being helped by the Italians who then transferred him to the island of Lesvos before he settled in Athens.

“My mentor Bruce Gyngell would be deeply disappointed as his SBS had more licence to say what was right in 1980 and not just what was easy,” he said.

“For many of us [the] screenings will be very painful, but I think it’s better to experience the pain now than to keep denying that these things ever happened as the Turkish governments have done from day one.
“Once again, I’m George Donikian and I promise never to forget,” he concluded.