Three finalists have been announced for the 2021 Our Watch Award administered by the Walkley Foundation.
Our Watch CEO Patty Kinnersly said the quality of the finalists reflected a year of impressive work from journalists amidst sadly unrelenting news about violence against women and children.
“Homicide is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to violence against women, which can take many forms, from relationship and family violence, to dating violence, workplace sexual harassment and street harassment,” Ms Kinnersly said.
“The media’s role in shaping the public conversation and influencing community attitudes can’t be overstated.
“Excellence in reporting in this area requires expertise and can also take an emotional toll on journalists, which is why it’s so important to recognise and reward those who do it responsibly and ethically.
“Good reporting can mean the difference between a woman staying silent or having the courage to disclose the abuse she’s suffering, or a perpetrator feeling like he’ll keep getting away with abuse, or seeing that his behaviour is condemned.”
The finalists are, in alphabetical order.
- Avani Dias, Angela McCormack, Ali Russell and Laura McAuliffe, Four Corners, Triple J Hack and ABC Online, “Tinder: A Predators’ Playground”
- Samantha Maiden, news.com.au, “Young staffer Brittany Higgins says she was raped at Parliament House” “Parliament office ‘steam cleaned’ after alleged attack” and “Minister Michaelia Cash’s voicemail message to Brittany Higgins”
- Lisa Wilkinson, Angus Llewellyn and Georgia Done, The Project and The Sunday Project, Network 10, “Brittany Higgins interview”, “Brittany Higgins editorial” and “A Matter of Consent”
Walkley Foundation chief executive, Louisa Graham, said: “We’re proud to administer this award on behalf of Our Watch, and to champion best-practice, ethical journalism that will ultimately help make Australia’s women and children safer.”
The finalists were announced alongside all the award finalists in the Walkley Foundation’s 2021 Mid-Year Celebration of Journalism.
Peer-judged and selected on the basis of journalistic excellence, the Mid-Year Celebration suite includes the Walkley Young Australian Journalist of the Year Awards, June Andrews Award for Industrial Relations Reporting, June Andrews Award for Freelance Journalist of the Year, June Andrews Award for Women’s Leadership in Media, Our Watch Award, Media Diversity Australia Award, Humanitarian Storytelling Award, June Andrews Award for Arts Journalism and The Pascall Prize for Arts Criticism.
Winners will be announced at the Mid-Year Celebration of Journalism event in Sydney on June 16. The ceremony will be live streamed, with details on www.walkleys.com.
–ENDS–
MEDIA CONTACT
Laurelle Keough
Our Watch Manager, Media and Communications
P: 03 8692 9537/ 0425 701 801
E: laurelle.keough@ourwatch.org.au
ABOUT OUR WATCH
Our Watch is a national leader in Australia’s work to stop violence against women and their children before it starts. The organisation was created to drive nation-wide change in the structures, norms and practices that lead to violence against women and children.
BACKGROUND
Our Watch has been recognising and rewarding excellence in reporting on violence against women and children since 2013, initially through the Our Watch Awards – administered by the Walkley Foundation – and from 2019 onwards through the Our Watch Award at the Walkley Mid-Year Celebration.
The objective of Our Watch’s ongoing work with the Walkley Foundation is to improve the quality of reporting on violence against women and their children by building awareness of gender inequality as setting the underlying context for this violence.
To access guides for reporting about violence against women and their children, visit: www.ourwatch.org.au.
