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Making a Killing wins 2015 Walkley Gold
A FOUR CORNERS team has again taken Australia’s top award in journalism in 2015.
The Four Corners team of Caro Meldrum-Hanna, Sam Clark and Max Murch have won the Gold Walkley Award for their determined and far-reaching expose on the dark side of Australia’s greyhound racing industry, Making a Killing.
The Four Corners team forensically analysed hundreds of hours of covertly-recorded vision on the behaviour and practices of greyhound trainers, to piece together a picture of the extent of their involvement in the cruel and illegal practice of live baiting. The team obtained remarkable interviews, including candid admissions from racing industry insiders.
The Walkley judges said, “Making a Killing exposes greyhound racing’s ugly secret. It took bravery, tenacity and months of planning in three states to produce a jaw-dropping report that has shaken not just the greyhound code but the entire racing industry.”
A resounding Four Corners business report on the 7-Eleven franchisees’ payment anomalies and poor treatment of staff won the Walkley for Business Journalism. The team of Adele Ferguson, Sarah Danckert and Klaus Toft created the joint , Four Corners, ABC TV and Fairfax Media report – that is still having far-reaching impacts on the franchising industry in Australia – titled ‘7-Eleven: The Price of Convenience’.
The Walkley for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism, was awarded to Trevor Sykes, recognising his 50-year career as ‘an insightful and relentless investigative financial journalist’. 
The Nikon-Walkley Press Photographer of the Year Award went to News Corp. Australia’s Gary Ramagefor his renowned ability to cover the regular news beat as well as in-depth reporting. Mr Ramage also won the Nikon-Walkley Photo of the Year.
The Walkley Award for Journalism Leadership went to Debi Marshall, citing her ongoing courage and determination ‘to get to the truth despite risks to her personal safety’. The judges said nowhere was this more evident than during her investigation into the Family Court Murders.
Commenting on the Walkley judging process, advisory board chair Kate McClymont said, “The judging process is what gives the Walkley Awards its credibility. The judges are senior journalists — people who know the skill, quick wit, depth of research and analysis, resourcefulness and even physical courage that it takes to create the best journalism.”
The 60th Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism were presented in 34 categories.
More than 700 journalists and media identities gathered at Melbourne’s Crown Palladium for the event, hosted by Sky News’ David Speers.
2015 WALKLEYS CATEGORY WINNERS
Print/Text News Report
Award partner Media Super
Michael Bachelard and Armando Cordoba, The Age, ‘The White Jihadist’.
Social Equity Journalism
Award partner Seven Network
Margaret Simons and Dave Tacon, The Monthly, ‘Fallen Angels: The children left behind by Australian sex tourists’.
Multimedia Storytelling
Award partner News Corp Australia
Huw Parkinson, Insiders, ABC TV, ‘Bronwyn Bishop’s Arrested Development’, ‘Star Wars: Fixed’ and ‘The Breakfast Clubbing Season’.
Nikon-Walkley Photo of the Year
Award partner Nikon
Gary Ramage, News Corp Australia, ‘Ice Nation’.
Headline Journalism
Sean Keeley, The Courier-Mail, ‘Jihad me at hello’, ‘Fillip for republicans’ and ‘Voyage of the crammed’.
Coverage of Indigenous Affairs
Award partner NITV
Stan Grant, Guardian Australia, ‘Stan Grant Columns’.
Coverage of Community and Regional Affairs
Award partner Australia Post
Emma Field, The Weekly Times, ‘Foreign worker exploitation exposed’.
Sports Journalism
Chris Garry, Sunday Mail and The Courier-Mail, ‘When a Game Becomes Life and Death’.
Sport Photography
Award partner Nikon
Phil Hillyard, The Daily Telegraph, ‘One Moment in Time’.
Radio/Audio News and Current Affairs Journalism
Award partner ABC
Mark Willacy and Mark Solomons, PM, ABC Radio, ‘Hopeland’.
Radio/Audio Documentary, Feature, Podcast or Special
Award partner QUT
Hagar Cohen, Background Briefing, ABC Radio National, ‘Left in Harm’s Way’.
Print/Text Feature Writing Long (over 4000 words)
David Kilcullen, Quarterly Essay No. 58, ‘Blood Year: Terror and the Islamic State’.
Scoop of the Year
Award partner Nine Network
Annika Smethurst, Herald Sun, ‘Bronwyn Bishop’s Chopper Scandal’.
Cartoon
David Pope, The Canberra Times, ‘Charlie Hebdo’.
Artwork
Safdar Ahmed, GetUp! – The Shipping News, ‘Villawood: Notes from an Immigration Detention Centre’.
Coverage of a Major News Event or Issue
Seven News Team, Seven News, ‘Lindt Cafe Siege’.
Print/Tect Feature Writing Short (under 4000 words)
Award partner Fairfax
Trent Dalton, The Weekend Australian Magazine, ‘The Ghosts of Murray Street’.
Nikon-Walkley News Photography
Award partner Nikon
Rob Griffith, The Associated Press, ‘Sydney Lindt Cafe Siege’.
Business Journalism
Award partner ING Direct
Adele Ferguson, Sarah Danckert and Klaus Toft, Four Corners, ABC TV and Fairfax Media, ‘7-Eleven: The Price of Convenience’.
Nikon-Walkley Feature/Photographic Essay
Award partner Nikon
Ingetje Tadros, The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘Kennedy Hill’.
International Journalism
Award partner University of Queensland
Jewel Topsfield, Sarah Whyte, David Wroe, Amilia Rosa and Karuni Rompies, Fairfax Media, ‘People Smuggler Cash Payments’.
Camerawork
Award partner Australian Super
Louie Eroglu, ABC News and Four Corners, ABC TV, ‘The Killing Season’ and ‘The Great Cricket Coup’.
TV/AV News Reporting
Chris Reason, Seven News, Seven Network, ‘Lindt Cafe Siege’.
TV/AV Daily Current Affairs
Award partner SBS
Matt Brown, Suzanne Dredge and Mathew Marsic, 7.30, ABC TV, ‘Enslaved by Aussie Jihadis’.
TV/AV Weekly Current Affairs
Tara Brown and Rebecca Le Tourneau, 60 Minutes, Nine Network, ‘Catching a Monster’.
Investigative Journalism
Award partner Bayer
Caro Meldrum-Hanna, Sam Clark and Max Murch, Four Corners, ABC TV, ‘Making a Killing’.
Interview
David Speers, Sky News Australia, ‘The Fixer’.
Commentary, Analysis, Opinion and Critique
Peter Hartcher, The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘Come and get me’, ‘PM rolled by his own ministers’ and ‘Abbott’s gamble with no safety net’.
Walkley Documentary Award
Award partner Linc Energy
Michael Ware, Justine A. Rosenthal, Patrick McDonald, Bill Guttentag and Jane Moran,
Only The Dead, Penance Films and Wolfhound Pictures.
Walkley Book Award
Chip Le Grand, The Straight Dope, Melbourne University Press.
Nikon-Walkley Press Photographer of rthe Year
Award partner Nikon
Gary Ramage, News Corp Australia.
Journalistic Leadership
Award partner Qantas
Debi Marshall.
Outstanding Contribution to Journalism
Award partner SKY News
Trevor Sykes
Gold Walkley
Award partner MEAA
Caro Meldrum-Hanna, Sam Clark and Max Murch, Four Corners, ABC TV, ‘Making a Killing’.
The 2015 Walkley Awards board judges were:
Kate McClymont, investigative reporter, Fairfax Media (chair); Angelos Frangopoulos, chief executive officer, Australian News Channel (deputy chair); Jill Baker, editor, Herald Sun (Weekend Edition); Anne Davies, investigative editor, The Sydney Morning Herald; Marina Go, general manager, Hearst Brands; Claire Harvey, deputy editor, The Sunday Telegraph (abstained from final round judging); Fran Kelly, presenter, ABC Radio National, Breakfast; Nick Moir, staff photographer, The Sydney Morning Herald; Jonathan Richards, creative lead, Google Creative Lab; John Stanley, weekend breakfast presenter, Radio 2UE; Sandra Sully, presenter, Network Ten; Hedley Thomas, national chief correspondent, The Australian; and Lisa Wilkinson, co-host, Today, Nine Network;
Ends
