Walkley Award winner and outgoing 3AW Mornings announcer Neil Mitchell has delved into the debate surrounding the Ampol sponsorship of the Walkleys.
The Walkley Awards were launched in 1956 by Ampol Petroleum founder Sir William Gaston Walkley, after a partnership with the Australian Journalists’ Association. Over the weekend, the board of the Awards issued a statement formally apologising for racist comments that Walkley made in a column for The Sydney Morning Herald in 1961, and announced a revised sponsorship policy.
With several Australian media personalities announcing their intent to either withdraw their entry or avoid entering the 2023 Awards in protest, Mitchell made it clear to 3AW listeners on Monday that he would not be one of them.
“I’ve got a Walkley award for radio journalism. I’m very proud of it, and I’m annoyed by any suggestion I should give it back because Ampol is a sponsor and because the man who founded the Walkleys is being cancelled,” Mitchell said.
“His name was William Walkley, he founded Ampol – which, by the way, is now evil because it uses fossil fuels. He also wrote a piece in 1961 advocating a White Australia policy – it would be fair to say strongly advocated for it – and he was wrong.”
Recounting his time on the judging panel, Mitchell also pointed out that the sponsors of the awards were not a consideration when it came to naming the winners.
“Yes, I’m proud of my Walkley Award, and I’m proud of the time I spent on the judging panel for the Walkleys. We put a lot of effort into that and not once did we feel compromised or the evil of any of the sponsors. Not once did the passings of a different era visit us. The Walkleys have done a lot for excellence in journalism, and now I guess they’re showing journalism has lost the plot.”
Finishing on a prediction of where things may head, Mitchell said “I’m immensely proud to have been awarded the Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year. I worked with Graham Perkin, he was one of the greatest journalists in the history of this country. They might cancel him next – not for racism, but his unerring ability and the strength with which he called out crap.”
On Friday, Neil Mitchell announced that he would be stepping down from 3AW Mornings, to pursue other roles with the Nine Network. His final day on air will be Friday December 1, with Tom Elliott named as his successor.