The Walkley Awards for journalism excellence were announced last week, with ABC Radio winning the three main radio category awards.
The winners were:
Nonee Walsh and Michelle Brown of ABC Radio, in the RADIO NEWS REPORTING category for “Waterfall Train Crash”
Mark Willacy of ABC Radio’s AM Program in the RADIO CURRENT AFFAIRS REPORTING category for “The Fall of Saddam”
Sharon Davis and Nick Franklin of ABC Radio National in the FEATURE DOCUMENTARY BROADCAST SPECIAL category for “Crime and Punishment – A Four Part Radio Documentary Series”
Other winners were Richard Moran of National 9 News who won the Gold Walkley for his coverage of the Canberra Bushfires; Fairfax’s Paul McGeough for Journalism Leadership;
Journalism Educator Julie Duncan; and The Age’s Jason South who was photographer of the year.
Full list of winners click below.
Speaking about the Walkley Award winners in Federal Parliament, Democrat Senator John Cherry had some things to say about the ABC’s important place in Australian Journalism and had a go at Senator Alston’s ABC complaints. He said:
Last Thursday night, the annual Walkley Awards was held,
the night of nights for Australia’s media.
As the Democrats Communications spokesperson and, like
all politicians, a keen observer of the media, I wish to congratulate
all those journalists honoured this year, and indeed
all of those journalists who continue to pursue truth and accuracy
regardless of the pressures imposed on them.
I particularly congratulate Richard Moran, Paul McGeough
and Jason South on their awards at the top of the list.
The ABC, which has been under attack by the Howard Government
all year, won all three awards in the radio category
and two of the four television awards, with a Walkley to Andrew
Denton’s Enough Rope for broadcasting interviewing.
Given the intense pressure that the Government has placed
on ABC journalists throughout the year, this is a credit to the
continuing high standards of the ABC.
I particularly note that the award for Radio Current Affairs
Reporting went to the AM program and Mark Willacy for his
report on “The Fall of Saddam”.
I also wish to congratulate Matt Peacock, ABC’s then London
based correspondent, who last week won the British
Foreign Press Associations; award for the best story by a
foreign journalist. That was another radio story related to the
Iraqi war, this time for PM, on Tony Blair’s “master of Spin”
Alistair Campbell.
The ABC’s coverage of the Iraqi war, particularly that of
AM, senators would recall, has been the particular subject of
complaints by former Communications Minister Senator
Richard Alston and the new Queensland Senator Santo
Santoro.
Since May, Senator Santoro has spoken in this place on six
different occasions, using the Senate to attack various journalists
and journalistic decisions within the ABC.
On August 13, his most virulent attack on AM’s coverage of
the Iraq war, was a particular attack on Linda Mottram,
where he said her comments “…highlights the instinctive
anti-American ism and the institutionalised hostility to this
government that has become part of AM”s stock in trade.,
But it is not only bias. It is sloppy and shoddy journalism,
which should have no place at the ABC.” …
Well, I say to Senator Santoro, three out of three radio Wakeley’s,
and two out of four television Walkleys is in my view,
a pretty clear indication that ABC radio and television does,
in fact match the best in terms of professionalism and objectivity.
The ABC does not need Senator Santoro as its self-appointed
moral guardian to set its standards. In fact, the ABC should
fiercely resist any effort by any Government to dictate its
line of reporting…
I congratulate all ABC staff on the work that they have done
over the course of the year, and I particular congratulate
those whose work has been acknowledged by the peers in
awards last week.