Herald Tops Award Short List
Sydney Morning Herald
Wednesday October 15, 1997
Newspapers published by the John Fairfax group have dominated the short list for the AMP Walkley Awards released last night, with The Sydney Morning Herald receiving more nominations than any other newspaper.
The Herald's team of journalists, photographers and cartoonists received 16 nominations for the national awards, including three for Good Weekend.
The Age has received eight nominations and The Australian Financial Review four. The Australian received six nominations.
Herald writers have dominated the new category of excellence in commentary, analysis, reviews and opinion category with Tony Stephens, Valerie Lawson and Tony Wright all nominated, along with Janet McCalman of The Age.
Finalists for the best news report included the Herald's Kate McClymont, Greg Bearup and Minh Bui for their story on loan sharks at the Sydney Harbour Casino.
Herald staff were nominated in the category of best special or section: Phil Scott, for Drive and Ross Muller, Verna McGeachin, Fiona McGill and Michael Johnston for Domain.
The finalists in the best newspaper feature category include Hamish McDonald, the Herald's Foreign Editor, for his feature titled Midnight's Daughters and James Woodford for his international exclusive on the Jinmium rock art in northern Australia.
In the television category, Glenn Milne from the Seven Network has been nominated for best news report for Thredbo Disaster - Day One, along with the ABC's James Schofield for reports from Hebron, and Rod Power and Joanne Shoebridge from Channel Nine for a story on a drug overdose.
In the all media category, Herald columnist Elizabeth Knight is among the finalists for excellence in business reporting for her Herald column Abacus.
The Herald's Christopher Kremmer was listed in the coverage of Asia category for his work on the Afghan Civil War and David Leser for his piece Farewell My Lovely, which appeared in Good Weekend.
For excellence in international reporting, the Herald's Tony Wright was highly commended for "the sheer quality of his writing" in his piece titled Zaire's Exodus of the Damned.
The Herald's Richard Woolveridge is a finalist in the best three headings section. Good Weekend had three reporters listed for best magazine Feature - Steve Dow and Simon O'Dwyer for their feature Jay's Story and Martin Flanagan for Neil Murray.
Herald cartoonist Cathy Wilcox was highly commended for her piece, It Takes a Big Man.
In the photography section Rick Stevens has made the final list of three for best news photograph and Palani Mohan was highly commended in the best feature photograph section.
For on-line or wire service journalism, David Higgins, of The Sydney Morning Herald's Saturday Icon section, is listed for Pirates of the High C's.
Winners of each category will be announced at a dinner in Melbourne on December 3, with all winners considered for the prestigious Gold Walkley for the most outstanding piece of journalism. Winners of the award for excellence in coverage of the Asia region will be announced in Canberra next month.
* Good Weekend journalist Janet Hawley was last night named the NSW winner of the best print feature in the MBF Health and well-being awards. Ms Hawley's feature, titled Anxiety, was about panic attacks.
© 1997 Sydney Morning Herald