Yoni Bashan from The Australian has been named 2024 Sir Keith Murdoch Journalist of the Year at News Corp Australia’s 20th News Awards celebration dinner.
News Corp chair Lachlan Murdoch presented Bashan with the award at the special event last night, recognising the journalist’s coverage following the October 7 attack on Israel.
Murdoch said: “As the horrific October 7 attacks happened, Yoni was on the phone to The Australian’s editor-in-chief Michelle Gunn wanting to go to Israel. By October 10, he was on the ground. He was the first Australian journalist to visit Gaza after the attacks.
“He did not shy from danger – he ran toward it. He bore witness to trauma while reporting the conflict in the Middle East, believing that the truth could only be uncovered by reporters on the ground, reporters who were courageous, impartial, and fearless.”
The Sir Keith Murdoch Journalist of the Year award is named in honour of Sir Keith, the founder of News and the late grandfather of Lachlan Murdoch and father of News Corp chairman emeritus Rupert Murdoch.
The award recognises the year’s most outstanding journalist whose work demonstrates commitment to quality journalism, the pursuit of truth, journalistic leadership and endeavour, courage and tenacity.
This latest accolade follows Bashan’s previous win in 2009 when he was named News Corp Australia’s Young Journalist of the Year and undertook a secondment for 12 months at The Wall Street Journal in New York.
Other accolades presented that evening include ‘Storyteller of the Year’ by news.com.au’s Lexie Cartwright for About Bloody Time: A deeply personal story. Meanwhile ‘Scoop of the year’ was shared between the Herald Sun’s Carly Douglas for Australian victim of October 7 Hamas attack, and The Daily Telegraph’s Clementine Cuneo, Mark Morri and Josh Hanrahan for Killer in The Ranks – Cop wanted for couple’s murder.
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Top image: Yoni Bashan and Lachlan Murdoch