2 weeks Ago
An investigation into the dangers of so-called “forever chemicals” and a damaging exposé of the CFMEU lead a huge list of finalists from The Sydney Morning Herald in the 69th Walkley Awards. Herald photographer Kate Geraghty was also named winner of the photo of the year prize on Thursday for a powerful image captured while on assignment in Israel following the October 7 massacre. Geraghty’s Walkley Award-winning photograph of Muslim worshippers being stopped momentarily by an Israeli police officer before entering the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
Credit: Kate Geraghty Geraghty’s work in the Middle East also secured a nod in the news photograph category alongside Flavio Brancaleone, who is a finalist for an image taken after the Bondi Junction attack. The Herald’s chief photographer, Nick Moir, is a finalist in the photographer of the year category and the sports photography category. Christopher Hopkins was also named winner of the portrait prize award for an image captured for Good Weekend.
In total, staff from the Herald and its sister publication The Age represent 20 nominations across 16 categories – more than any other news organisation in the country. Investigative reporter Carrie Fellner is a finalist in three categories for her work covering the unfolding environmental and health crisis of the impacts of “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. She is a finalist alongside Michael Evans, Matt Davidson and Matthew Absalom-Wong in the print/text news report category and specialist/beat reporting category for an investigation titled “The factory that contaminated the world”, and in the documentary category alongside Katrina McGowan, Janine Hosking and Mat Cornwell for the iKandy Films and Stan film How To Poison A Planet.
Journalist Carrie Fellner at one of the locations for the documentary How To Poison A Planet. Credit: Rhett Wyman Nick McKenzie and the broader Herald team responsible for the major Building Bad investigation into the CFMEU over recent months are finalists in the prestigious investigative journalism field, as well as the television current affairs and coverage of a major news event or issue categories. McKenzie is also a finalist in the documentary category for Ben Roberts-Smith – Truth on Trial.
McKenzie, senior writer Michael Bachelard and 60 Minutes producer Amelia Ballinger are also in the running in the scoop of the year and current affairs categories for revealing a cache of messages from then-Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo. Pezzullo was later sacked over the affair. Arts writer Linda Morris and investigative reporter Eryk Bagshaw were nominated in two categories for their work exposing mining billionaire Gina Rinehart’s campaign to have a portrait removed from the National Gallery of Australia, while senior economics correspondent Shane Wright and the Herald’s Visual Stories Team are finalists in the digital media innovation category.
Herald sports reporter Tom Decent. Credit: Louise Kennerley. Sport reporter Tom Decent is a finalist in the sport reporting category for his bombshell revelation that then-Wallabies coach Eddie Jones was secretly interviewed by Japanese rugby officials to take over as the country’s head coach just days before Australia’s disastrous Rugby World Cup campaign.
Jones repeatedly denied the story but was appointed coach of the Brave Blossoms 90 days later. Cartoonists Cathy Wilcox and Matt Golding secured nods in the cartoon of the year category, columnist David Lesser is a finalist in the commentary, analysis and opinion category, and interactive pieces about Olympic records by Herald reporters, editors, developers and designers are a finalist in the explanatory journalism category. Herald editor Bevan Shields said the lengthy finalist list reflected the newsroom’s commitment to delivering high-quality journalism to subscribers and readers.
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