SBS has apologized to Warren Mundine not once, but twice, during a heated exchange on the night of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum as he campaigned for the No vote.
Mr Mundine appeared on the public broadcaster's The Point program on October 14, where fireworks erupted between him, presenter Narelda Jacobs and prominent Yes lawyer Marcia Langton as votes were counted.
A furious Jacobs slammed Mr Mundine for what she said was a “distortion” of Professor Langton’s words, and defended the academic, saying she was a “national treasure”.
This came after he said Prof Langton had 'racistically abused this country'. The resulting argument led to Mr Mundine's microphone being cut and taken off air.
But now, two months later, the taxpayer-funded broadcaster has finally apologized to the former SBS board member in a letter.
Warren Mundine (pictured) unleashes live on Indigenous activist Marcia Langton
Mr Mundine was so upset at the way he was treated on election night that he complained to SBS the next day.
“In that interview I said that Marcia Langton, a panellist on the show, had called Australia a racist country and had racially abused people,” he wrote in a letter quoted by the BBC. Herald Sun.
“Mrs Jacobs interrupted me and made the following comment: 'We're not going to sit here and let you abuse a national treasure like Marcia Langton, who never said Australians were racist… I'm going to stop you there, Warren. , we just saw who Warren Mundine is.”
“This comment from Ms Jacobs was false,” Mr Mundine said. “In 2017, Ms Langton said: 'Of course Australia is racist. It's a terribly racist country.' In fact, I quoted Ms. Langton's exact words.”
He also complained that his microphone was turned off, leaving him unable to defend himself.
In a letter of almost 2,000 words, SBS ombudsman Amy Stockwell finally admitted that the company was wrong in both cases.
“You indicated in your complaint that you were referring to a recording of comments allegedly made by Professor Langton in 2017,” Ms Stockwell wrote.
'The presenter and panellists understood that you were referring to comments made by Professor Langton in Bunbury the month before…
“Given the timing and context of the program, the presenter's belief that you were referring to the professor's comments during the referendum campaign was not unreasonable,” her December 13 letter said.
Narelda Jacobs (pictured) slammed Mr Mundine for saying it was the “distortion” of Marcia Langton's words and called the academic a “national treasure”
On the issue of Jacobs' praise for Prof. Langton and her comment: “Well, we've just seen who Warren Mundine is,” Ms Stockwell used a convoluted explanation.
“The terms chosen for that specific intervention, in particular the character observation in the final statement, gave the impression that one perspective had been wrongly favored over the other in a manner that was inconsistent with the impartiality provisions of the (SBS) Code,” she wrote.
Ms Stockwell also acknowledged that switching off Mr Mundine's microphone 'meant that you and the public did not benefit from your response'.
The ombudsman eventually got to the point and 'SBS apologizes for these breaches… The content will not be rebroadcast.'
An SBS spokesperson told Ny Breaking Australia that 'the SBS Ombudsman has investigated a small number of complaints received in relation to the program The Point: Australia Decides, broadcast on October 14.
'In that investigation, the ombudsman found two violations of the SBS Code of Practice, relating to impartiality and balance.
'We note the SBS Ombudsman's findings regarding elements of robust exchange between guests during the live program.
“The intent of the program team's actions was to ensure that the conversation that was taking place remained clear to the public, fact-based and a safe space for discussion.”
Mr Mundine said it was “abundantly clear that they had breached their code. I'm glad they said that.'
Mr Mundine said Professor Langton (pictured) 'has racially abused this country'. The resulting argument led to Mr Mundine's microphone being cut and taken off air
He told Ny Breaking Australia on Wednesday night: 'They treated me with disrespect. I am very happy with the result.'
The campaigner also said the people who voted no in the referendum were not racist. “They just want to see results” for the indigenous people.
Mr Mundine said he knew many people who voted No who would have voted Yes 'if it had been explained to them how the Vote would make a difference'.
Ultimately, he said he was “glad I filed a complaint.” Blind Freddy could have seen (what happened to me) that it was wrong.'