Australia’s finest investigative journalism in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Australian Financial Review, 60 Minutes and Stan was recognised at the 69th Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism tonight, with Nine collecting an astounding 11 Walkleys – more than any other media organisation. 

Journalists from The Age, the Herald, the Financial Review and 60 Minutes – Nick McKenzie, David Marin-Guzman, Ben Schneiders, Amelia Ballinger, Reid Butler and Garry McNab – won the highest honour in Australian journalism, the Gold Walkley, for revealing the nation’s most powerful union, the CFMEU, had been infiltrated by bikies and organised criminals.

The Building Bad investigation exposed widespread allegations of corruption and intimidation within the CFMEU, resulting in the union being placed under administration by the Fair Work Commission and several high profile union officials being sacked.

The series of stories ran across The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian Financial Review and 60 Minutes, also collecting a Walkley for Television/Video:Current Affairs Long.

McKenzie was also recognised for an investigation into Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo and his attempt to oust enemies, promote politicians he considered allies and lobby to muzzle the press. Alongside Michael Bachelard and Amelia Ballinger, the investigation by The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes was awarded Scoop of the Year and Television/Video: Current Affairs Short. 

Nine’s proud history of undertaking difficult investigative reporting was highlighted by several investigative stories being awarded Walkleys, including an investigation into the unfolding environmental and health crisis of ‘forever chemicals’ by Carrie Fellner, Matt Davidson, Matthew Absalom-Wong and Michael Evans. 

Fellner – along with Katrina McGowan, Janine Hosking and Mat Cornwell – also took out a second Walkley for the joining documentary ‘How to Poison A Planet’ which screened on Stan.   

Arts writer Linda Morris and investigative reporter Eryk Bagshaw won the specialist/beat reporting category for their work exposing mining billionaire Gina Rinehart’s campaign to have a portrait removed from the National Gallery of Australia, while the mastheads’ Visual Stories team was also recognised with an Explanatory Journalism Walkley for ‘faster, higher, stronger’, an interactive story comparing athletes from 100 years ago to today.

David Leser was awarded Commentary, Analysis, Opinion and Critique for his features about the war in Gaza.

The Walkleys also highlighted Nine’s unparalleled investment in photography and illustration by awarding the Herald’s Cathy Wilcox a Walkley for her ‘Break glass’ Cartoon; while the Herald’s Nick Moir was named the Nikon-Walkley Press Photographer of the Year. 

“This has been an incredible year for the unrivalled journalism at the Herald and The Age. This is deserved recognition for the journalists, editors, photojournalists and artists who serve our readers every day,” said Luke McIlveen, Executive Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Times and WAToday. 

Fiona Dear, Nine’s Director of News and Current Affairs, said the Walkley wins for 60 Minutes highlighted how collaboration between Nine’s newsrooms ensures the company’s investigative journalism reaches a diverse and wide audience.      

“The collaboration of Nine’s publishing and broadcast teams is one of the most formidable investigative units in the country and I couldn’t be prouder,” said Dear. “Nick McKenzie is one of Australia’s most powerful investigative journalists. His prosecution of the CFMEU and the impact of that story, has had a profound effect on the construction industry.”  

Full list of Nine winners here:

69th Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism:

GOLD WALKLEY – Nick McKenzie, David Marin-Guzman and Ben Schneiders, Amelia Ballinger, Reid Butler and Garry McNab – The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian Financial Review and 60 Minutes (Building Bad)

PRINT/TEXT NEWS REPORT – Carrie Fellner, Matt Davidson, Matthew Absalom-Wong and Michael Evans, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, ‘The factory that contaminated the world’ 

ALL MEDIA: COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS, OPINION AND CRITIQUE – David Leser, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, ‘The war in Gaza: Not in my Jewish name’

ALL MEDIA: EXPLANATORY JOURNALISM – Faster, higher, stronger team (The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age) ‘faster, higher, stronger’

ALL MEDIA: CARTOON – Cathy Wilcox, The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘Break glass

ALL MEDIA: SCOOP OF THE YEAR – Nick McKenzie, Michael Bachelard and Amelia Ballinger, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘The Pezzullo files’ 

ALL MEDIA: SPECIALIST AND BEAT REPORTING – Linda Morris and Eryk Bagshaw, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and Brisbane Times, ‘The portrait Gina Rinehart doesn’t want you to see’ 

TELEVISION/VIDEO: CURRENT AFFAIRS SHORT (UNDER 20 MINUTES) – Nick McKenzie, Amelia Ballinger and Michael Bachelard, Nine, 60 Minutes, ‘The Power Player’ 

TELEVISION/VIDEO: CURRENT AFFAIRS LONG (OVER 20 MINUTES) – Building Bad Team – The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian Financial Review and 60 Minutes ‘Building Bad’

WALKLEY DOCUMENTARY AWARD – Katrina McGowan, Janine Hosking, Mat Cornwell and Carrie Fellner, iKandy Films and Stan, How To Poison A Planet

NIKON-WALKLEY PRESS PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR – Nick Moir, The Sydney Morning Herald

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

Tuesday, November 19, 2024