Dateline returns with new presenters

Dateline returns to SBS ONE this Sunday night with no shift to its content, save for the two new hosts.

George Negus, who left to work with Network TEN, is replaced by new hosts Mark Davis and Yalda Hakim who will continue to work as video journalists. Davis was the show’s previous presenter before Negus.

Hakim, 27, will be first in the presenter’s chair. The Afghan-born journalist has been covering international affairs for Dateline for the past two years. She is a Young Australian Journalist of the Year finalist, and last year was awarded the United Nations Media Peace Prize for Best Australian Television News coverage.

Here are the stories coming in the first show:

Egypt’s Revolution – Amos Roberts
While the eyes of the world have been on Egypt of late, Dateline reporter Amos Roberts has been on the ground with his camera rolling.

Roberts spent a week in Egypt as its people rose up against President Hosni Mubarak. In his report for Dateline this Sunday, he shares his experience which included being tear gassed, attacked, interrogated, and even shot at. But despite the intimidation from the military intelligence and Mubarak’s supporters, he gets inside the protest movement against the president’s 30 years of authoritarian rule.

Egyptian’s protest movement has used social networks, like facebook and twitter, to tell the world what’s happening in their country, and it’s built into the deadly protests that neither the Mubarak regime nor the world’s media have been able to ignore.

A Spy Uncovered – Yalda Hakim
In her first report for the year, new co-host Yalda Hakim traveled to the United States to spend time with former CIA spy Valerie Plame.

The name, Valerie Plame, was never meant to be publicly known, but the former CIA agent ended up being exposed by the very government she had pledged to serve. Her identity was leaked after her husband, former United States Ambassador Joseph Wilson, publicly criticised George Bush’s reasons for going to war with Iraq.

Now, eight years on, her story has been turned into a Hollywood thriller, Fair Game. which she says is difficult to watch because it brings back so many memories. Yalda met Valerie in New Mexico, where she’s forged a new life far away from the Washington spotlight, and talks to her about the lasting effect the episode has had on her and her young family.

Assange Speaks – Mark Davis
Video journalist and new co-host of Dateline, Mark Davis, has had unprecedented access to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. This continues on Sunday with an exclusive interview with the Australian whistleblower.

Mark Davis met with Assange in London this week where he is fighting Sweden’s request to extradite him for questioning over sexual assault allegations, which he strenuously denies. In the interview, Assange gives his reaction to this week’s hearing over Assange is concerned too that he could face the death penalty if he’s then forced to the United States to face charges over the classified documents he’s leaked.

It airs 8:30pm Sunday on SBS ONE.