The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald investigative journalist Nick McKenzie was named Australian Journalist of the Year at the prestigious 2020 Kennedy Awards last night.

Two joint investigations by The Age and 60 Minutes into Crown Resorts and branch stacking in Victoria, as well as a moving Good Weekend feature about an SAS soldier’s harrowing experience in Afghanistan, saw Nick take out the award.

Nine’s journalism was recognised during the ninth annual gala dinner, winning 16 awards across its publishing and television divisions, in the biggest news year in history. “Crown Unmasked” was a six-month investigation by reporters Nick McKenzie, Nick Toscano and producer Grace Tobin which exposed a corporate scandal unlike anything Australia had ever seen before, and directly led to a NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) inquiry that now puts Crown Resort’s ownership of a casino licence in doubt.

“The Faceless Man” was a year-long investigation by reporters Nick, Sumeyya Ilanbey and producer Joel Tozer exposing the dark underbelly of Australian political power. Explosive secret recordings showed one of the Labor Party’s factional kingpins, Adem Somyurek, boasting of branch stacking, and resulted in him being expelled from the Party. Nick’s Good Weekend feature “One Last Mission” was a harrowing investigation into SAS medic Dusty Miller, who sought forgiveness from the Afghan children of a man allegedly stomped to death by another soldier.

James Chessell, Executive Editor of and The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, said: “Congratulations to all the Herald and The Age journalists whose excellent work was recognised last night. To be nominated – and in many cases, win – in such a wide range of categories once again underlines the breadth and depth of our newsrooms in Sydney and Melbourne.

“Special congratulations to Nick McKenzie whose indefatigable work across print, digital and television on multiple, agenda setting investigations has been the great journalistic achievement of the past year. Nick’s talent extends well beyond breaking big stories. He is mentor to many of The Age’s younger reporters, a proponent of newsroom excellence and advocate for public interest journalism.”

Kirsty Thomson, Executive Producer of 60 Minutes, said: “A huge congratulations to Nick McKenzie, Joel Tozer, Grace Tobin and the crews and editors who worked on “The Faceless Man” and “Crown Unmasked”. These stories have been recognised for their outstanding journalism at the Kennedy Awards.”

“Just as importantly, they showcase the power and impact of the hugely successful partnership between 60 Minutes, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. I know everyone at 60 Minutes is enormously proud of these collaborations and cannot wait to do more in the future.”

Nine’s full list of winners of the 2020 Kennedy Awards:

2020 TPG Telecom Kennedy Award for Australian Journalist of the Year – Nick McKenzie (60 Minutes/The Age)

Les Kennedy Award for Outstanding Crime Reporting – Simon Bouda (A Current Affair)

Outstanding News Photo – Nick Moir (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Power of the Lens Peoples’ Choice – Dallas Kilponen (freelance pic for The Sydney Morning Herald)

Outstanding Portrait – James Brickwood (The Australian Financial Review Magazine)

The Cliff Neville Award for Outstanding Team Player – Damian Ryan (9News)

Peter Frilingos Award for Outstanding Sports Reporting – Neil Breen (9News)

2020 Young Journalist of the Year – Lauren Golman (A Current Affair)

Outstanding Television Current Affairs Reporting – Nick McKenzie, Grace Tobin, Nick Toscano: Crown Unmasked (60 Minutes)

Mike Willesee Award for Outstanding Nightly TV Current Affairs Reporting – Dimity Clancey, Laura Mangham (A Current Affair)

Outstanding Finance Reporting – Nick McKenzie, Grace Tobin, Nick Toscano (60 Minutes and The Age)

Outstanding Online News Breaking – 9news.com.au for bushfire coverage

Outstanding Court Reporting – Michael Ruffles, Michael Evans (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Outstanding Reporting on the Environment – Peter Hannam (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Outstanding Investigative Reporting – Kate McClymont, Jacqueline Maley (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Outstanding Political Reporting – Chris O’Keefe (9News)

For more information:
Adrian Motte
Communications Manager, Nine
amotte@nine.com.au

Saturday, November 7, 2020