In 2019-20, digital storytelling remained a core vehicle to deliver SBS’s Charter in new ways. Embracing the opportunities presented by digital innovation and immersive technology, SBS placed audiences at the heart of diverse experiences to deepen understanding between communities.

SBS’s Digital Creative Labs has continued to produce highly acclaimed projects that bring SBS’s purpose to life, many of which have been showcased in museums and galleries across the nation.

Of note in 2019-20 was a co-production with the Museum of Australian Democracy on an interactive audio-visual installation for the Truth, Power and a Free Press permanent exhibition. The piece showcased the complex challenges and motivations faced by 12 prominent Australian journalists in bringing truth to power, including SBS’s own Jenny Brockie and Ghassan Nakhoul. Refer to Truth, Power and a Free Press for further information.

The Digital Creative Lab’s award-winning installation Belongings was exhibited at the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Council of Australia conference in Hobart; as well as at the Melaleuca Refugee Centre in the Northern Territory; and at the City Recital Hall in Sydney. Refer to FECCA Conference 2019 for further information.

In response to COVID-19, the team co-produced digital content that addressed the need to provide critical information, tools and infographics to audiences in a timely and engaging manner. SBS produced hundreds of infographics translated into more than 40 languages, which were shared multiple thousands of times on social media, driving audiences back to the essential SBS Multilingual Coronavirus portal for deeper comprehensive content. For more information, refer to COVID-19.

Demonstrating the enduring impact of and critical acclaim for SBS’s digital storytelling, in April 2020, SBS producer Kylie Boltin was announced as the joint-winner of the Betty Roland Prize for scriptwriting at the NSW Premier’s Awards, for the 2019 interactive documentary, Missing. Telling the untold story of eight-year-old Wendy Jane Pfeiffer who was lost for 40 hours in the Adelaide Hills after being abducted near her family’s farmhouse in October 1966, the project was developed in collaboration with Wendy and the Pitjantjara trackers, Jimmy James and Daniel Moodoo, who helped bring her home. Missing is a demonstration of the power of innovative and collaborative storytelling in exploring moments and issues that shape the nation.