2023 award winner announced
The winner of Democracy’s Watchdog’s 2023 award for investigative journalism is Jonathan Weitz-Freeman from the University of Technology Sydney. Jonathan, who is doing a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism), will receive $1000 and a trophy.
Congratulations Jonathan and to the finalists who will be sent or presented with highly commended certificates.
It was a difficult choice this year because each of the finalist stories revealed information that was in the public interest.
The judges especially liked the way in which Jonathan found a story – hidden in plain sight as it was – and then presented it in a most engaging way with scrolling photos, video and perfect text. In addition to the presentation, his story revealed the lack of regulations in the home slaughter of farm animals, an issue that attracts little or no mainstream media interest.
Rose Innes’s story about a toddler who died after being sent home from a local hospital was judged to be the best hard news story of any entry. Her interview with the parents and the photos of the girl were heartbreaking. Her story raised serious questions about the level of care provided and sparked a review by the health service. Congratulations, Rose.
Gwen Liu’s story about the scamming of international students by Chinese rental brokers was an important story that had all the ingredients of an investigative story: verified evidence of the rorts, case studies with victims, expert voices, reaction from the brokers, and strong contextual background. Well done Gwen.
Pamela Rontziokos’s story on a questionable charge and certificate for funerals that was introduced by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese held a powerful institution to account – and that’s a key characteristic of investigative stories. A solid investigation.
Thank you to all the students who entered this year’s award. We are looking forward to running the award again next year, so keep digging.
Note: The video / audio category had one entry that did not meet the award criteria.