The print and online publishing model might be under attack, but Australia’s biggest two news publishers continue to set the news agenda.
News Corp Australia was the biggest winner at the Kennedy Awards on Friday night with 14 of the 34 awards.
Fairfax Media was not far behind with nine awards.
Four news organisations won two awards each – ABC, Seven, SBS and Nine – while Macquarie Media and Choice magazine each won an award.
The biggest single winner on the night – with the three major awards – was The Daily Telegraph’s national political editor Sharri Markson. Her scoops on Barnaby Joyce and his affair with a staffer saw her win for Scoop Of The Year, Outstanding Political Reporting and Journalist Of The Year.
Sharri Markson
Highlights of the evening included the appearance of the wife and sons of the late Paul Lockyer, who were so moved by the moment they found it hard to announce the winner of the award in his name, which ABC reporter Anna Henderson won.
During a long awards show, short speeches were much appreciated by the audience. Newcastle Herald photographer Jonathan Carroll did best as he collected his award with one word – “Fuck”.
Seven reporter and producer David Richardson gave perhaps the most memorable speech as he pleaded for the recall of Today Tonight as a national brand. “TT isn’t dead,” he said after collecting his award for Outstanding Team Player. “If we are going to fight a war, let’s put an army in the battlefield,” he added, alluding to Nine’s domination of the commercial TV nightly current affairs offering.
Jana Wendt had a standing ovation when she was onstage for her Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Australian’s Peter Lalor spoke as well as he writes after collecting the sports reporting award and The Australian’s James Jeffrey noted it was his birthday as he collected his Outstanding Columnist award and led the crowd for three cheers.
Complete list of winners:
Winners: 2018 NRMA Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism
Announced at the Grand Ballroom, Royal Randwick, Friday August 10
• 2018 Kennedy Prize for Journalist of the Year
Sharri Markson (The Daily Telegraph)
• Les Kennedy Award for Outstanding Crime Reporting
Emma Partridge (The Daily Telegraph)
• Paul Lockyer Award for Outstanding Regional Broadcast Reporting
Anna Henderson (7.30 ABC)
• Chris Watson Award for Outstanding Regional Newspaper Reporting
Shannon Tonkin (The Illawarra Mercury)
• Rod Allen Award Racing Writer of the Year
Ray Thomas (The Daily Telegraph)
•Outstanding Turf Reporting
Chris Roots (The Sydney Morning Herald)
• Sean Flannery Award for Outstanding Radio Reporting
Natalie Peters (Macquarie Radio, 2GB)
• Outstanding Radio Current Affairs and Audio Blog
Peter Ryan (ABC Radio)
• Outstanding News Photo
John Grainger (The Daily Telegraph)
• Outstanding Portrait
Jonathan Carroll (The Newcastle Herald)
• Outstanding Sports Photo
Brett Costello (The Daily Telegraph)
• Outstanding Online Video
Ivan O’Mahoney, Dan Box, Nial Fulton (The Australian, Foxtel)
• Power of the Lens People’s Choice Award
Phil Hillyard (The Daily Telegraph)
• Cliff Neville Award – Outstanding Team Player
David Richardson (Seven Network)
• Peter Frilingos Award – Outstanding Sport Reporting
Peter Lalor (The Australian)
• 2018 Young Journalist of the Year
Lucy Cormack (The Sydney Morning Herald)
• Outstanding Travel Writing
Catherine Marshall (The Sydney Morning Herald)
• Lifetime Achievement Award
Jana Wendt
• John Newfong Award – Outstanding Indigenous Affairs Reporting
Chris Roe and Karla Grant (NITV)
• Gary Ticehurst Award – Outstanding Television News Camera Coverage
Kevin Hudson (Seven News)
• Harry Potter Award – Outstanding Television News Reporting
Neil Breen (Nine News)
• Outstanding TV Current Affairs
Tara Brown, Grace Tobin, Sean Power (60 Minutes)
• Outstanding Nightly TV Current Affairs
Patrick Abboud (SBS Viceland)
• Peter Ruehl Award – Outstanding Columnist
James Jeffrey (The Australian)
• Outstanding Finance Reporting
Adele Ferguson, Sarah Danckert (Fairfax Media)
• Outstanding Consumer Affairs Reporting
Tony Ibrahim (Choice Magazine)
• Outstanding Online News Breaking
Max Mason (The Australian Financial Review)
• Outstanding Court Reporting
Nicola Berkovic (The Australian)
• Outstanding Reporting on the Environment
Benedict Brook (news.com.au)
• The Rebecca Wilson Award – Scoop of the Year
Sharri Markson, Kylar Loussikian (The Daily Telegraph)
• The Vince O’Farrell Award – Outstanding Illustration
David Rowe (Fairfax Media)
• Outstanding Investigative Reporting
Nick McKenzie, Chris Masters (The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald)
• Jim Oram Award – Outstanding Features Writing
Trent Dalton (The Australian)
• Outstanding Political Journalist
Sharri Markson (The Daily Telegraph)
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Top Photo: Peter Lalor, Lucy Cormack, Jana Wendt