Walkley Awards: Fairfax Journos Win 2017 Gold Walkley Award For Mosul Coverage

The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have claimed the top prize for excellence in journalism at the prestigious annual Walkley Awards announced in Brisbane last night.

The Age’s investigative and world editor Michael Bachelard and SMH photographer Kate Geraghty won the Gold Walkley for Surviving IS: Stories of Mosul, which also took out the prize for feature writing.

The 62nd Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism were presented in 30 categories. Just under 600  journalists and media identities gathered in the Plaza Ballroom of Brisbane’s Convention and Exhibition Centre for the gala event hosted by Lisa Wilkinson.

Commenting on the awards judging process, Angelos Frangopoulos, chair of the Walkley Advisory Board, said, “The last year was a big one for news and the very high quality – and fierce competition – of the entries demonstrated this. The judging process was very challenging and I’d like to thank all the judges who devoted their time and gave careful consideration to each entry.”

This year’s full list of winners included:

2017 Walkley Awards Category Winners:

PRINT/TEXT NEWS REPORT
Award Partner: Media Super
Nick Hansen, The Daily Telegraph, “EXCLUSIVE – Steal as you earn: tax chief’s son accused of helping mastermind $100m tax fraud”; Sons and Fraudsters”; Family tax benefits: ATO boss tried to help scamming son”

PUBLIC SERVICE JOURNALISM
Joanne McCarthy, Newcastle Herald and The Age, Fairfax Media, “Living a Nightmare”
I’m living a nightmare; We tried to warn them; Mesh move

INNOVATION
Award Partner: News Corp Australia
Rachael Brown, Jeremy Story Carter and Jesse Cox, ABC, “Trace”

HEADLINE, CAPTION OR HOOK
Award Partner: Qantas
Michael Nolan, The Saturday Paper, “The father, the son and the Hillary ghost”, “Dualling ban grows” “Carpe PM: Turnbull biographer Paddy Manning turns on the PM”

FEATURE WRITING LONG (OVER 4,000 WORDS)
Award Partner: UQ
Helen Garner, The Monthly, “Why She Broke: The Woman, her Children and the Lake”

FEATURE WRITING SHORT (UNDER 4,000 WORDS)
Award Partner: Fairfax
Michael Bachelard, Kate Geraghty and The Age Multimedia Team, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, Fairfax Media, “Surviving IS: Stories of Mosul”

COVERAGE OF INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS
Jane Bardon, 730, ABC TV,  AM & PM, ABC Radio and ABC Online, “Demanding Justice: Marshall Wallace, BushMob and Stolen Generation 2”
Indigenous man with only 6 months to live given 15-month prison sentence in NT;Terminally ill man imprisoned for driving offences fights to be released from custody;Dylan Voller’s lawyers want him transferred to bush rehab program; Families convince NT Govt to return Arnhem Land children taken into care

COVERAGE OF COMMUNITY OR REGIONAL AFFAIRS
Award Partner: BHP
Carrie Fellner, Newcastle Herald, “The sorrow on Cabbage Tree Road”
The sorrow on Cabbage Tree Road; Profiles: the 50 cancer cases of Cabbage Tree Road;Rare cancer strikes twice in the red zone

CARTOON
Award Partner: Banki Haddock Fiora
Cathy Wilcox, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, “Low-cost housing, London”

SPORTS JOURNALISM
Jamie Pandaram, The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph, “Western Force saga”
Western Force set to be axed; Frank exchange between Western Force officials and ARU duo that sparked legal row; Force fate hangs on 15 games

SPORT PHOTOGRAPHY
Award Partner: Nikon
Scott Barbour, Getty Images,“Split Second”

RADIO NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS JOURNALISM
Award Partner: ABC
Matt Brown, AM, ABC Radio, “The War on Islamic State”
Mosul Front; Mosul Battle; Turkey Terror List

RADIO/AUDIO FEATURE
Award Partner: QUT
Michael Green and the Behind the Wire/Wheeler Centre team, “The Messenger”

PRODUCTION
The Fairfax Multimedia Team, theage.com.au, smh.com.au, watoday.com.au and canberratimes.com.au, “Surviving IS: Stories from Mosul”

SCOOP OF THE YEAR
Award Partner: Nine
Annika Smethurst, Herald Sun, “Ley of the Land”
Flat a Ley Buy on Trip; New year’s farce; Ley of the Land

COVERAGE OF A MAJOR NEWS EVENT OR ISSUE
Award Partner: Lion
Peter Ryan, AM, PM & The World Today, ABC Radio, ABC News & BBC World Service, “Commonwealth Bank Scandal – accused of 53,000 breaches of anti-money laundering and terror financing laws”
Breaking News – CBA risks massive fines over anti-money laundering & terrorism financing law breaches; CBA chief executive Ian Narev in first broadcast interview re scandal – tells Peter Ryan “mistakes were made” but not resigning; CBA cuts Ian Narev’s bonus to “zero” as a result of Austrac money laundering allegations; ASIC to investigate CBA disclosure to stock exchange. When did it know about money-laundering risks?; Ian Narev to retire by 30 June 2016 as CBA chief executive; APRA announces independent inquiry into CBA; ASIC to investigate CBA disclosure to stock exchange. When did it know about money-laundering risks?; Ian Narev to retire by 30 June 2016 as CBA chief executive; APRA announces independent inquiry into CBA

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO JOURNALISM
Award Partner: SKY NEWS
Michael Gordon

NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY
Award Partner: Nikon
Justin Brierty, The Cairns Post,“Don’t Shoot”

BUSINESS JOURNALISM
Award Partner: ING
Adele Ferguson and Mario Christodoulou, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, “The Domino’s Pizza Expose”
Boxed In What life is really like inside pizza giant Domino’s; Domino’s Scandal – Franchisees ‘selling visas’; A small serve Domino’s deal not so fair

FEATURE/PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY
Award Partner: Nikon
Sam Ruttyn, The Sunday Telegraph, “Lion Heart Leo”

TELEVISION/VIDEO: CAMERAWORK
Award Partner: Australian Super
Daniel Fallshaw, Guardian Australia, “The Fight”

TELEVISION/VIDEO: NEWS REPORTING
Award Partner: Seven
Sally Sara, ABC News, “Six Days in Somaliland”

TELEVISION/VIDEO CURRENT AFFAIRS SHORT (LESS THAN 20 MINUTES)
Award Partner: SBS
Dimity Clancey, A Current Affair, Nine Network, “Malcolm Naden Confession”

TELEVISION/VIDEO CURRENT AFFAIRS LONG (MORE THAN 20 MINUTES)
Tara Brown, Grace Tobin and Sean Power, 60 Minutes, Nine Network, “Bitter deal”

INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM
Award Partner: Bayer
Adele Ferguson, Sarah Danckert and Klaus Toft, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, Fairfax Media & Four Corners, ABC TV “Bleed Them Dry Until They Die”

COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS, OPINION AND CRITIQUE
Award Partner: Three Plus
John Silvester, The Age and The Saturday Age, “Naked City”
Tough-guy laws: brave or stupid?; PSOs: Victoria’s dumbest policy?; Knight condemned by his own hand

WALKLEY DOCUMENTARY AWARD
Martin Butler, Liz Jackson, Bentley Dean and Tania Nehme, ABC TV, “A Sense of Self”

WALKLEY BOOK AWARD
Award Partner: Media Super
Louise Milligan, Cardinal: The rise and fall of George Pell, Melbourne University Press

NIKON-WALKLEY PRESS PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Award Partner: Nikon
Kate Geraghty, Fairfax Media

GOLD WALKLEY
Award Partner: MEAA
Michael Bachelard and Kate Geraghty, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, Fairfax Media, “Stories of Mosul”