2023 WA Media Awards winners announced
The WA Media Awards recognise excellence, independence, innovation and originality in storytelling and distinctive reporting. This can be through research and investigations, well-crafted and innovative presentations, news-breaking single stories or features, and engaging, entertaining and/or informative reporting.
Seven West Media’s Tim Clarke has been named Western Australia’s 2023 Journalist of the Year following a five year long investigation into the history of sexual abuse charges – dating back decades – against AFL legend Barry Cable.
“Clarke had the scoop of the year – and it reverberated well beyond WA into the corridors of power in the AFL,” said the judging panel.
Clarke was also recognised as the winner of the ‘Legal Affairs Report’ award at the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance’s (MEAA) WA Media Awards ceremony held at Perth’s ANZAC Club on October 7.
He has provided commentary, analysis and on-the-spot reporting for radio, television, podcasts and online media. He has also authored a book on the case of Bradley Robert Edwards, who was convicted of being the man that stalked, abducted, raped and murdered women in Claremont in the 1990s.
To find out more on Clarke’s success, click here.
The full list of winners can be found below.
SHOWCASING THE BEST OF WESTERN AUSTRALIAN JOURNALISM
Seventeen panels of judges, composed of media professionals, academics and previous award winners, this year chose 19 overall winners on the basis of journalistic excellence. Other considerations included the resources available to the entrant/s and the effort expended in the preparation of the submitted work.
A panel from the University of Western Australia chose the winner of the Arthur Lovekin Prize for Excellence in Journalism: Walkley Award winning investigative journalist John Flint, from The West Australian newspaper, who was also recognised at the 2023 WA Media Awards ceremony on Saturday, October 7.
Established in 1928 with a donation to the University by the Honorable Arthur Lovekin – journalist and newspaper editor and owner – this prize is open to Western Australian members of the MEAA Media Section and undergraduate and postgraduate students of The University of Western Australia.
“I’d like to thank everyone who entered our awards, and the awards’ sponsors for your great support of West Australian journalism,” said Tiffany Venning, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) Regional Director for Western Australia.
Venning gave special mention to Kimberley-based ABC News reporter, Erin Parke, who won four awards at the WA Media Awards. These were for: ‘Culture and Arts Report – The A.H. Kornweibel Arts Prize’; ‘Regional and Community: Three News Stories/Features Outside a 70km Radius of Perth’; Feature Writing: The Hugh Schmitt Prize’; and ‘Video Feature’.
Nicolas Perptich and Rebecca Turner from the ABC News and Peter Milne from WAtoday won three awards a piece, and freelance reporter Victoria Laurie picked up two gongs.
“For 11 years now, I have had the honour and privilege of being involved in the WA Media Awards, recognising excellence and the vital role of public interest journalism,” Venning added.
“This year’s entries are full of stories that changed Western Australia’s political landscape and led the national conversation. Congratulations everyone!”
Among the guests was WA Minister for Ports, Local Government, Road Safety and the Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, David Michael.
The Department of the Premier and Cabinet of WA sponsors the Community/Regional Photography award, this year won by Andrew Ritchie, photographer at Seven West Media.
Ritchie’s entry showcased the brotherly bond between a three-year-old terminally ill boy with 24/7 care needs and his older brothers; foster caring for dogs; and Perth’s newest intimate venue, Centrestage Recording Studios.
“The [Department] is proud to be a sponsor of this award and thrilled to be part of the WA Media Awards recognising excellence in journalism,” Minister David Michael said. “I’d like to extend my congratulations to all the winners across all award categories of journalism here tonight.”
2023 WA MEDIA AWARDS – WINNERS
ALL MEDIA (including online publications)
Business, Economics or Finance Report supported by MEAA
● Peter Milne – WAtoday – “Alcoa’s reputation car crash: water supply at risk,
denuded forests and a toxic pipeline”
Columnist – The Matt Price Prize supported by Steedman Stagg Lawyers
● Peter Milne – WAtoday – “Digging into the spin from the big end of town”
Culture and Arts Report – The A.H. Kornweibel Arts Prize supported by MEAA
● Erin Parke – ABC News – “Mystery Settlement”
Freelance Journalist supported by MEAA
● Victoria Laurie – “Victoria Laurie freelance stories”
Health / Medical Report supported by Australian Medical Association (WA)
● Caitlyn Rintoul – Seven West Media – “Triple shift horror: Unveiling systemic
strain in WA hospitals”
Legal Affairs Report supported by MEAA
● Tim Clarke – Seven West Media – “Barry Thomas Cable”
New Journalist or Cadet – The Eaves-Prior-Day Prize supported by Cannings Purple
● Cason Ho – ABC News – “Multimedia Journalism”
Outstanding Journalism Student Award supported by Nine
● Seamus Harrison – Curtin University
Political Report – The Beck Prize supported by Seven West Media
● Hamish Hastie – WAtoday – “Breaking through the spin on WA’s biggest dud
property deal”
Regional and Community: Three News Stories/Features Outside a 70km Radius of Perth supported by Public Transport Authority of Western Australia
● Erin Parke – ABC News – “Kimberley floods”
Science and Environmental Report supported by ABC
● Victoria Laurie – Freelance – “A Kimberley Cornucopia – Biodiversity discovery on
Kimberley Islands”
Social Equity Report supported by Equal Opportunity Commission
● Nicolas Perpitch and Rebecca Turner – ABC – “Father Damian’s dark playbook”
Sports Report – The Gilmour-Christian Prize supported by Network Ten
● Briana Fiore and Anthony Pancia – ABC – “The Fights of our Lives – A Boxing
Story”
The Arthur Lovekin Award supported by The University of Western Australia
● John Flint, The West Australian, “The Half-Built Home Epidemic”
TEXT FORMATS
Best Headline (ten words or less) supported by Media Stable
● The West Australian – “The West Australian Backbench”
Feature Writing: The Hugh Schmitt Prize supported by MEAA
● Erin Parke – ABC News – “Chasing Waterfalls”
News Coverage supported by The West Australian
● Peter Milne – WAtoday – “Tackling the rogue miner in WA’s jarrah forest”
Suburban: Three News Stories/Features Within a 70km Radius of Perth supported by Public Transport Authority of Western Australia
● Ben Dickinson – Post Newspapers – “Democracy at stake”
PHOTOGRAPHY
Community/Regional Photography supported by Department of the Premier and Cabinet of WA
● Andrew Ritchie – Seven West Media – “Body of Work”
Feature Photograph / Photographic Essay supported by Media Super
● Ross Swanborough – Seven West Media – “Pure jubilation”
News Photograph supported by MEAA
● Ian Munro – Seven West Media – “Banksia Hill”
RADIO / AUDIO JOURNALISM
Audio Feature Based on a Single Story supported by Media Super
● Kirsti Melville – ABC Radio National – “A Promise Frayed | When Oscar was
promised the world”
Audio News Story supported by MEAA
● Isabel Moussalli – ABC – “Truck drivers speak out about hidden dangers”
Multimedia Feature supported by MEAA
● Jessica Hayes, Hannah Murphy and Andrew Seabourne – ABC Kimberley – “43
years a murderer”
Multimedia News supported by MEAA
● Nicolas Perpitch and Rebecca Turner – ABC – “Father Damian’s dark playbook”
TELEVISION / VIDEO JOURNALISM
Camerawork supported by Seven Network
● Trent Nind – Seven West Media – “Pursuit of a Predator”
News Reporting supported by MEAA
● Nicolas Perpitch and Rebecca Turner – ABC – ‘Father Damian’s dark playbook”
Video Feature supported by MEAA
● Erin Parke – ABC News – “Fitzroy Floods”
GOLD PRIZE
West Australian Journalist of the Year – The Daily News Centenary Prize
supported by BHP
● Tim Clarke
Judges’ comments: “It was the bombshell that had been whispered about for years as one of the state’s greatest sportsmen and beloved sons fought to keep the story under wraps. And it was The West’s legal affairs editor, Tim Clarke, who was the first to reveal the stunning news that Barry Cable – a hall of fame legend of WA football – was an accused sexual predator who was being sued by a woman who claimed he had abused her for decades, starting when she was just 12 years old.
“Clarke had the scoop of the year — and it reverberated well beyond WA into the corridors of power in the AFL. He had been pursuing the case behind the scenes for five years as Cable used every legal avenue to stop the public from learning the truth.
“In breaking this important and timely story, the judges noted that Clarke had demonstrated all the classic attributes of great journalism: the dogged pursuit of the facts; crisp and elegant storytelling; and, most importantly of all, beating your competitors and being first with the story.”