PENNELLS CLAIMS GOLD WALKLEY AWARD
Steve Pennells has won the Gold Walkley and two other 2012 Walkley Awards for his news and feature articles in The West Australian newspaper.Pennells won the Walkley Award for Best Scoop of the Year for his reports on the legal battle over the estate of late mining magnate Lang Hancock.He also won the Walkley Award for Social Equity Journalism for his feature article on the drowning victims of an asylum seeker tragedy – his third Social Equity Walkley after claiming the Award in 2006 and 2009.More than 600 journalists, media personnel and Walkley sponsors gathered at Parliament House in Canberra for the 57th Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism, hosted by Heather Ewart (ABC) and Anton Enus (SBS).
The Nikon-Walkley Press Photographer of the Year Award went to The Age photographer Justin McManus for excellence across a diverse portfolio of news and feature photojournalism.Regional newspaper The Border Mail won the Walkley Award for Journalism Leadership for its ‘Ending the suicide silence’ campaign spanning breaking news, feature articles and social media.Former ABC foreign affairs editor Peter Cave was awarded the Walkley Award for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism, and was praised by peers for his integrity, honesty, sensitivity and skill throughout his 40-year career.
The Walkey Documentary Award went to Celeste Geer and the Rebel Films for ABC TV production Then the Wind Changed, a moving insight into a Victorian regional community’s struggle to recover from the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009.The Walkley Book Award went to George Megalogenis for The Australian Moment: How we were made for these times.
