Posted on Monday, September 15th, 2014 by Will Hagle
SBS’s documentary about Australia’s 2005 Cronulla riots is presented online along with a variety of interactive elements.
SBS, the Australian public broadcasting network, has created an online documentary exploring the history, context and aftermath of the 2005 Cronulla riots. 
The riots were an explosion of racial tension in the Sydney suburb of Cronulla, in which attacks occurred on Middle Eastern individuals. The attacks were a response to an alleged assault of two surfing lifeguards by a group of Middle Eastern men. The riots represented a surge in Australian nationalism, as well as an outburst of violence against the nation’s minority populations. There was also a subsequent reaction by the country’s Middle Eastern youth, who would not stand for the violence against them.
An In-Depth Investigation of the EventsSBS goes into detail about the events that occurred during the riots, claiming to investigate the situation more deeply than the standard media headlines. The documentary, which has interactive elements, displays text messages that were sent during the riots, tells as-yet-untold stories about various incidents, and includes much more in-depth information. There’s a 60-minute documentary that’s completely free to stream on the site, as well as additional content relating to the same topic. The documentary plays smoothly via the web browser, with the opportunity to skip through chapters or view maps and other interactive features.
