Australia’s finest journalism undertaken by reporters on The Australian Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and 60 Minutes was recognised at the 68th Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism tonight, with Nine dominating the ceremony with an astounding 14 Walkleys. 

The Financial Review’s Neil Chenoweth and Edmund Tadros were awarded the prestigious Gold Walkley for their explosive investigation into the PwC tax leaks scandal, with the pair also being awarded gongs for Business Journalism, Investigative Journalism and their team effort in Coverage of a Major News Event or Issue. 

“Tonight has been one of the Financial Review’s greatest Walkley nights, with Neil Chenoweth and Edmund Tadros’ Gold Walkley and three other Walkleys for the PwC scandal that has been the business story of the year. Recognition of our other winners and finalists – including outstanding contribution to journalism awards for our editor-at-large Pamela Williams and former editor Colleen Ryan – confirms the Financial Review newsroom as one of Australia’s best,” said Michael Stutchbury, editor in chief, and Fiona Buffini, editor, of The Australian Financial Review.

One of the country’s most renowned investigative journalists, the Herald’s Kate McClymont, was among eight women awarded the Walkley Award for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism, recognising her fearless reporting during nearly 40 years in journalism. 

McClymont’s win sat alongside The Age’s Caroline Wilson, who was also recognised for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism. The Melbourne columnist has been at the forefront of sports journalism for decades and has been a trailblazer for women.   

“This award is such an honour and in many ways undeserved, as being a journalist has not only been one of the great joys of my life – along with my three children – but most importantly it’s been such an amazing privilege,” said McClymont. 

“The opportunity to expose wrongdoing and hold people to account – for your journalism to actually make a difference to society – that is something for which I will forever be grateful.”

The mastheads’ proud history of undertaking difficult investigative reporting was highlighted by a special award – the first of its kind – given by the Walkley Foundation to Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters on the back of their groundbreaking Ben Roberts-Smith investigation.

Their legacy to investigative journalism will be enshrined with the Walkley Honour for Media Freedom, and an on-going new grant by the Walkley directors named The Masters-McKenzie Grant for Investigative Journalism.      

“This award is really in recognition of the brave SAS whistleblowers who made possible our reporting on Roberts-Smith, as well as my colleagues and editors at The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes who never stopped backing us to do the most difficult story of our lives,” said McKenzie.

“I’m beyond thrilled to learn the Walkley Foundation is announcing a new investigative journalism grant that reporters can access. Hopefully it will help inspire budding reporters to pick the hard yarn to chase when it matters, even if the threat of litigation or other blowback looms large.”

McKenzie, Amelia Ballinger and Joel Tozer were awarded a Walkley for Current Affairs Long for their 60 Minutes investigation Trafficked into the seedy world of human trafficking. 

The awards also recognised The Sydney Morning Herald’s Carrie Fellner, Katrina McGowan, Rhett Wyman and Mathew Cornwell with a Walkley for their Coverage of Indigenous Affairs, while The Age’s Paul Sakkal was awarded Print/Text News Report for his Daniel Andrews Under Direct Investigation in Operation Daintree. 

The Walkleys also highlighted Nine’s unparalleled investment in photography and illustration by awarding the Herald and The Age’s Badiucao for Cartoon, Justin McManus for Feature/Photographic Essay, and Eddie Jim for Nikon Portrait Prize, while the Herald’s sports reporter Vince Rugari and the Visual Stories Team won a gong for Innovation Journalism for their piece on soccer tactics during the Matildas World Cup campaign

Full list of Nine winners here:

68th Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism:

GOLD WALKLEY – Edmund Tadros and Neil Chenoweth, The Australian Financial Review 
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO JOURNALISM – Kate McClymont from The Sydney Morning Herald; Caroline Wilson from The Age
WALKLEY HONOUR FOR MEDIA FREEDOM – Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters in honour of their Ben Roberts-Smith investigation
PRINT/TEXT NEWS REPORT – Paul Sakkal, The Age, ‘Daniel Andrews Under Direct Investigation in Operation Daintree’
ALL MEDIA: COVERAGE OF INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS – Carrie Fellner, Katrina McGowan, Rhett Wyman and Mathew Cornwell, The Sydney Morning Herald, iKandy Films, ‘Paradise Poisoned’ 
ALL MEDIA: CARTOON – Badiucao, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘Badiucao’
DIGITAL MEDIA: INNOVATION JOURNALISM – The Visual Stories Team, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘How to Lay a Perfect Offside Trap – and How to Break It’ 
ALL MEDIA: COVERAGE OF A MAJOR NEWS EVENT OR ISSUE – The Australian Financial Review Team, The Australian Financial Review, ‘PwC Tax Leaks Scandal – AFR Coverage’
ALL MEDIA: BUSINESS JOURNALISM – Neil Chenoweth and Edmund Tadros, The Australian Financial Review, ‘PwC Tax Leaks Scandal’
FEATURE/PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY – Justin McManus, The Sunday Age and The Age Online, ‘Leaving the Land of Plenty’ 
TELEVISION/VIDEO: CURRENT AFFAIRS LONG (OVER 20 MINUTES) – Nick McKenzie, Amelia Ballinger and Joel Tozer, Nine, 60 Minutes, ‘Trafficked’
ALL MEDIA: INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM – Edmund Tadros and Neil Chenoweth, The Australian Financial Review, ‘PwC Tax Leaks Scandal’ 
NIKON PORTRAIT PRIZE – Eddie Jim, The Age

For further information, please contact:
Adrian Motte
Senior Communications Manager – Trade & Publishing
amotte@nine.com.au

Friday, November 24, 2023