Seven West Media wins big at WA Media Awards
The West Australian and Seven have claimed numerous wins at the WA Media Awards held at the Anzac Club in Perth on Saturday evening for their exceptional journalism, photography and camerawork.
The West Australian’s Tim Clarke has been named WA Journalist of the Year for his investigation into the historical sexual abuse committed by footballer Barry Cable in what the judges have labelled “scoop of the year”.
It was the culmination of a five-year probe by Clarke into decades of sexual abuse allegations levelled against the former football great and a dogged legal battle that resulted in a judge ruling the suppression orders finally be lifted after years of challenges by The West.
It saw Cable ruled a child abuser and ordered to pay more than $800,000 in damages. The AFL also dumped him from its Hall of Fame as WA sporting bodies stripped him of other accolades.
The judging panel said 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”.
“Clarke had the scoop of the year — and it reverberated well beyond WA into the corridors of power in the AFL.”
Additionally, Clarke won the award for Legal Affairs Report for his ongoing report on Cable, described by judges as careful and considered.
Editor-in-Chief Anthony De Ceglie said Clarke’s skill set has been integral to The West’s newsroom.
“I can’t think of anyone more deserving of the award of WA Journalist of the Year than Tim Clarke,” he said. “Tim is not just an exceptional journalist, but also an exceptional role model, too. “His tenacity, ethics and leadership have been an integral part of The West Australian for years. Our newsrooms would not be as dynamic without him.”
The accolades come as Clarke launches a new podcast- Court in the Act – which takes listeners inside our courtrooms to examine the most intriguing crimes and cases in the country.
John Flint, The West’s investigative journalist, was awarded The Arthur Lovekin Prize for Excellence in Journalism for the fourth time for his meticulous reporting on WA’s beleaguered building industry.
Judges said the Walkley Award-winning journalist’s “impressive in-depth investigation” facilitated “debate about the urgency of effective responses across government, industry and community”.
The West Australian’s, Caitlyn Rintoul won the Health/Medical report for her coverage of the systemic strain afflicting WA’s hospitals after revealing a regional nurse’s triple shift, which judges said “led to improved societal outcomes”.
Photographer Ian Munro was awarded News Photograph of the Year for his powerful picture during the Banksia Hill riot. Judges said the “urgent, shocking image starkly illustrates the crisis facing juvenile detention” in WA.
Fellow photographers at The West were also awarded for their work, with Andrew Ritchie winning for his Community/Regional Photography work and Ross Swanborough winning Feature Photograph for capturing the moment 19-yearold Elijah Hewitt was drafted to the AFL.
The West’s backbench, described as “twisted geniuses” by judges, won Best Headline (10 words or less) for their eyecatching headlines.
“This batch of headlines cooked up by the twisted geniuses at The West are quirky, irreverent, impactful, and guaranteed to get a reader’s eyes on a front page,” the judges said.
Seven’s Trent Nind won the Camerawork Award for his footage of the capture of convicted paedophile Tyrone Corbett which judges said was “one of the best ‘gets’ of the year.”
Click here to see the full 2023 WA Media Awards winners coverage.