WALKLEY AWARD FINALISTS ANNOUNCED THURSDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2012 From scoops to scandals, world events and previously untold stories – the Walkley Award finalists for 2012 demonstrate the ongoing strength and diversity of journalism in Australia. Finalists in the general categories of the 57th annual Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism were announced at simultaneous events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane tonight. Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance federal secretary Christopher Warren said the high standard of 2012 Walkley Award entries showed the enduring value of quality journalism in a challenging period for the media industry. “This year’s Walkley Award entries show that despite the financial and regulatory pressures being placed on journalists and newsrooms, the demand for high-quality, independent journalism continues growing every year,” Mr Warren said. Finalists for the Business Award, the Nikon-Walkley Awards for Excellence in Photojournalism and the Documentary Award were announced earlier this week. The 2012 Walkley Awards attracted more than 1300 entries, with winners to be announced on November 30 at the Awards Presentation and Gala Dinner at Parliament House in Canberra, broadcast on SBS. A special Capital Edition of The Walkley Foundation’s annual media GOLD WALKLEY conference What’s the Story will be held at the National Film & Sound CATEGORY SPONSOR Archive in Canberra on November 29 & 30. The conference features the best line-up of local and international speakers for any media conference in Australia, including New York Times founding interactive news editor Aron Pilhofer, ABC Director of News Kate Torney and Canberra Times editor-at-large Jack Waterford. Both the Gala Dinner and Conference are sponsored by Centenary of Canberra, an initiative of the ACT Government, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Australia’s capital city in 2013. Media Contacts Andrew Gregory (0403 440 257 or [email protected]) Karol Foyle (0411 757 690 or [email protected]) 57TH WALKLEY AWARDS FINALISTS PRINT, WIRE SERVICE & RADIO JOURNALISM BEST SCOOP OF THE YEAR DIGITAL JOURNALISM SPONSORED BY NINE NETWORK RADIO NEWS & CURRENT PRINT NEWS REPORT AFFAIRS REPORTING Steve Pennells, The West Australian, SPONSORED BY MEDIA SUPER SPONSORED BY ABC “Battle for billions” Richard Baker, Nick McKenzie and Hedley Thomas, The Australian, Michael Vincent, ABC Local Radio, Jane Lee, The Age and The Sydney “What the floods inquiry didn’t “Violence escalates in Tahrir Morning Herald, “Church’s suicide hear: Wivenhoe ‘breached the manual’” Square” victims” Kate McClymont, The Sydney Nance Haxton, ABC Radio, “Law Hedley Thomas, The Australian, Morning Herald and The Age, Council of Australia calling for “Revealed: Gillard lost her job after “Thomson: New credit card claims” law reform” law firm’s secret investigation” Steve Pennells, The West Australian, Mark Willacy, ABC Radio, “Tsunami Commended: Kate McClymont, “Battle for billions” mothers” The Sydney Morning Herald and Commended: Natalie O’Brien, The Age, “Thomson and William- The Sydney Morning Herald and RADIO FEATURE, DOCUMENTARY son and claims of secret The Sun-Herald, “Blunder revives OR BROADCAST SPECIAL commissions” Siev X memories” SPONSORED BY QUT CREATIVE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS JOURNALISM NEWSPAPER FEATURE WRITING SPONSORED BY J.P. MORGAN SPONSORED BY NEWCASTLE Nance Haxton, PM, ABC Radio, UNIVERSITY “Intellectually disabled people Jane Cadzow, Good Weekend, fight for equal access to justice” Fairfax, “The Iron Lady” Hannah Low and Angus Grigg, Claudia Taranto and Amanda Nick McKenzie and Richard The Australian Financial Review, Gearing, 360documentaries, ABC Baker, 7.30, ABC TV and The Age, “The Punters Club – tax, totes and Radio National, “The day that Fairfax, “RBA faces questions over the boys from Tassie” changed Grantham” bribery connections” Nick McKenzie, The Age, “Why Hagar Cohen, Background Briefing, Paola Totaro, The Australian did Abraham Papo die?” ABC Radio National, “Online Financial Review, “Inside the lair Ellen Fanning, The Global Mail, astroturfing” of the David Jones predator” “The truth is on the flood maps” Commended: Billy Rule, • • • • • BEST BROADCAST CAMERAWORK The Sunday Times, “A dark past” SPONSORED BY AUSTRALIAN ALL MEDIA SUPER MAGAZINE FEATURE WRITING SPONSORED BY BHP BILLITON SUSTAINED COVERAGE OF Tim Noonan, Sunday Night, AN ISSUE OR EVENT Seven Network, “Amazon tribe” Anna Krien, Quarterly Essay, SPONSORED BY APN Aaron Lewis, Dateline, SBS TV, “Us & them: on the importance of “Orchestra of dreams” animals” Mark Willacy, ABC Radio and Gary Ramage, News Limited, Jane Cadzow, Good Weekend, ABC TV, “Tsunami mothers” “This is Afghanistan” Fairfax,“The world according to Bryce” Ruth Pollard, The Sydney Commended: Robert Hill, Richard Guilliatt, The Weekend Morning Herald and The Age, Foreign Correspondent, ABC TV, Australian Magazine, “The man “After everything I have seen, I can “China – Beyond the Lost Horizon” and the myth” tell you God cannot exist” Commended: Trent Dalton, Stephen Drill and Ruth Lamperd, continues next page... Qweekend, The Courier-Mail, Herald Sun, “Cancer town” “Where to?” Commended: Linton Besser, The Sydney Morning Herald, • • • • • “Fraud probe snares top bureaucrats” 57TH WALKLEY AWARDS FINALISTS COVERAGE OF COMMUNITY COVERAGE OF INDIGENOUS COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS, AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS AFFAIRS OPINION AND CRITIQUE SPONSORED BY FAIRFAX SPONSORED BY NITV SPONSORED BY MEDIA MONITORS Robyn Wuth, Gold Coast Bulletin, Russell Skelton, Glenn Campbell Neil Chenoweth, The Australian “Faces of the Finks” and Tom McKendrick, Fairfax Financial Review, “Murdoch’s Heath Harrison and The Border Media, “Death in the Kimberley” retreat is no horseplay” Mail Team, The Border Mail, “The Caro Meldrum-Hanna, 7.30, John Silvester, The Age, “Over cruellest of heartaches” ABC TV, “The Trauma of coffee, Carl murdered the truth” Jill Emberson, Lucia Hill and Toomelah “ Claire Harvey, The Sunday Telegraph, Ben Millington, 1233 ABC John MacFarlane and SBS Team, “Voice of the people not for threats” Newcastle, “Hooked on heroin” sbs.com.au, “The Block: Stories from a meeting place” BROADCAST AND ONLINE INTERNATIONAL JOURNALISM INTERVIEWING SPONSORED BY UNIVERSITY SPORT JOURNALISM SPONSORED BY THE MEDIA, OF QUEENSLAND SPONSORED BY AUSTRALIA ENTERTAINMENT & ARTS ALLIANCE POST Matthew Carney and Thom Cookes, Leigh Sales, 7.30, ABC TV, Four Corners, ABC TV, “In their Clay Hichens, Nick McKenzie, “Interviews with Tony Abbott, Scott sights” Richard Baker and Mario Morrison and Christine Milne” Yaara Bou Melhem, Geoff Parish Christodoulou, Four Corners, ABC David Speers, Sky News, “Rudd and Garry McNab, Dateline, SBS TV and The Age, Fairfax, “Inside mail” exclusive”, “Shorten supports TV, “Revolutions: rise and fall” Richard Guilliatt, The Weekend Gillard” and “Thomson quits” Aubrey Belford, The Global Mail, Australian Magazine, “The price of Tracy Grimshaw, Cameron “Myanmar’s bloody war in the glory” Smith and Grant Williams, A shadows” Brigid Donovan, Kirstin Murray, Current Affair, “Lindy Commended: Greg Wilesmith and Gerald Tooth, Australian Story, Chamberlain”, “Deborah McKnight” Ben Knight, Foreign Correspondent, ABC TV, “Paint the town black” and “Matthew Newton” ABC TV, “Revolution hijacked” Commended: Hagar Cohen, Commended: Jon Faine, Background Briefing, ABC Radio Daniel Ziffer and Mary Bolling, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM National, “Blood, sweat and tears 774 ABC, “Powerbroker Kroger SPONSORED BY BAYER in the cage” lashes Costello, his friend and ally of 35 years”, “Crean attacks Rudd” Sarah Ferguson, Deb Masters and SOCIAL EQUITY JOURNALISM and “Ambulance nightmare: left for Irene Ulman, Four Corners, ABC SPONSORED BY SEVEN NETWORK dead, upside down, bleeding out” TV, “Smugglers’ Paradise – Australia” Kate McClymont, The Sydney Steve Pennells, The West Australian, ARTWORK Morning Herald and The Age, “Hopes of a generation wiped out SPONSORED BY PREMIUM WINE “Thomson: New credit card claims” on voyage” BRANDS PERNOD RICARD Linton Besser and Kate McClymont, Hamish Macdonald and Sam The Sydney Morning Herald and Clark, The Project, Network Ten, John Shakespeare, The Sydney The Age, “Exposed: Obeids’ secret “Age of uncertainty” Morning Herald, “The rise of Bob harbour deal” Margot O’Neill and Tony Jones, Carr” Commended: Sharona Coutts, Lateline, ABC TV, “Aged drugs” Steven Grice, The Advertiser and Joel Tozer, Clare Blumer, Adam News Limited websites, “Titanic Glyde and Paul Farrell, The Global Centenary” Mail, “Patients at risk” Frank Maiorana, The Sunday Age, “The Storm Inside” 57TH WALKLEY AWARDS FINALISTS continues next page... the aged: a multi-billion dollar mess” CARTOON LONG-FORM JOURNALISM NIKON-WALKLEY AWARDS SPONSORED BY AUGUST FOR EXCELLENCE IN WALKLEY DOCUMENTARY PHOTOJOURNALISM Andrew Marlton, Crikey, “Drowning” AWARD Judy Horacek, The Age, “Not waving” SPONSORED BY LINC ENERGY NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY Mark Knight, Herald Sun, “My SPONSORED BY NIKON dysfunctional family” Celeste Geer, Rebel Films/ABC TV, “Then the Wind Changed” Lukas Coch, Australian Associated BEST THREE HEADINGS Jacob Hickey, Northern Pictures/ Press, “Australia Day Protest” SPONSORED BY EPSON Fredbird Entertainment, SBS TV, Dan Himbrechts, The Australian, “Once Upon a Time in Cabramatta” “Malcolm Naden” Heath Harrison, The Border Mail, Quentin McDermott, Morag Trevor Pinder, Herald Sun, “City “Thin blue lie”, “Whodunnyt?”, Ramsay and Kevin May, Four Square Protest” “One big mist opportunity” Corners, ABC TV, “Closing Ranks” Paul Dyer, NT News, “Eyeful SPORT