News Australia through The Advertiser documentary, While I Was Sleeping, took home Best New Video Product or Feature (Regional) at the International News Media Association (INMA) Awards in New York, beating finalists from across the world.
The powerful documentary tells the story of The Advertiser journalist Ben Hyde’s miraculous story of survival when he was hit by a drugged driver travelling 170km/h and left for dead in a burning wreck.
Alongside the documentary, The Advertiser created a road safety campaign in 2024 called Arrive Alive, with 41 stories over three months viewed by more than 1.5 million people.
“The Advertiser has played a major role in advocating for road safety in South Australia, and there was no more powerful message than Ben’s personal story in While I Was Sleeping,” said Michael Miller, News Corp Australasia executive chairman. “It acted as a catalyst to transform personal loss into a community-wide conversation.
“I commend Ben on his fortitude and bravery, his innate storytelling ability, and for sharing the important, and often difficult, work that our emergency workers commit to.”
News Australia was also recognised with the following honours:
- Second Place: Best Brand Awareness Campaign (National)—“Welcome to the Contest of Ideas”, The Australian
- Second Place: Best Public Relations or Community Service Campaign (National)—“About Bloody Time”, news.com.au
- Third Place: Best Public Relations or Community Service Campaign (Regional)—“The Courier-Mail and NRMA Insurance Help Our Highway”
- Third Place: Best New Audio/Voice Product or Feature (National) – “Bronwyn”, The Australian
- Third Place: Best Initiative to Grow Subscriptions (National)—“News Pass Registration Strategy”
- Honourable Mention: Best New Video Product or Feature (National) – “Bronwyn”, The Australian
The 2025 INMA global media awards competition attracted 839 entries from 286 leading news brands from 49 countries.
