Guardian Australia has picked up eight nominations in the 69th annual Walkley awards for excellence in journalism.
The online publication dominated the category for digital media innovation, taking out two of the three nominations.
A team made up of Rafqa Touma, Ariel Bogle, Mostafa Rachwani, Nick Evershed, Andy Ball, Christelle Basil and Shelley Hepworth was nominated for the moving Leaving Gaza interactive which showcased text messages exchanged between Palestinian friends – one in Gaza, one in the US – in the opening days of the Israel-Gaza war.
Data journalist Josh Nicholas and the editorial developer, Andy Ball, were nominated for the engaging quiz What’s getting better for Australians today, and what’s getting worse? which asked people to estimate the trajectory of social issues such as the climate crisis, natural disasters, the rising cost of living and housing, and test their assumptions against the facts.
The Indigenous affairs editor, Lorena Allam, the Indigenous affairs reporter, Sarah Collard and the deputy picture editor, Blake Sharp-Wiggins, were nominated twice (in the Indigenous affairs and short feature writing categories) for their Buried lives investigation. They shone a light on possible clandestine burials at a notorious institution of the Stolen Generations era.
The Queensland correspondent, Ben Smee, was nominated in the long current affairs category for his collaboration with SBS on the In the box series about Indigenous children in police custody.
The chief investigations correspondent, Christopher Knaus, was nominated in the specialist and beat reporting category for his series Out in the cold, on the invisible crisis of homelessness deaths.
Cartoonist Fiona Katauskas is a finalist in the cartoon of the year category and columnist Greg Jericho is a finalist in the commentary and analysis category.
Shona Martyn, the CEO of the Walkley Foundation, said: “This has been an extraordinary year for news, both locally and internationally. The finalists in the 69th Walkley Awards reflect the fine work produced by Australian reporters, commentators, photographers, camera operators, cartoonists, podcasters, authors and documentary-makers on these matters of immense public interest.
“In every category, the quality of the finalists is high which made the first round judging process challenging.”
The Walkley board reviewed its rules on “chequebook journalism” after it emerged the Seven Network paid Bruce Lehrmann’s rent for a year to secure an interview that was later nominated for the 2023 scoop of the year award. This year for the first time the Walkley Foundation required entrants to declare chequebook journalism, and introduced more rigorous reporting of AI and legal challenges.
A checking process includes the assistance of three integrity observers.
Winners, including for the photography, book and documentary awards, will be announced at a gala dinner at the ICC in Sydney on Tuesday 19 November.
