KOCH STANDS OUT – DALTON NAMED QUEENSLAND’S TOP JOURNALIST

Queensland’s media gave Tony Koch its top honour tonight with the Clarion award for Most Outstanding Contribution.

More than 350 representatives from Queensland’s media, government and business communities came together to celebrate the best of Queensland journalism.

Koch, who retired from The Australian’s Brisbane bureau in June this year, is a five-time Walkley winner. Laurie Oakes, who presented the award, also noted his generosity as a mentor to generations of younger journalists.

Koch’s commitment to covering indigenous issues was also recognised, sharing the prize for Best Investigative Report with colleague Sarah Elks for their investigation of the financial and administrative breakdown of Djarragun College, a privately-run indigenous school near Cairns.

Trent Dalton was recognised as Queensland’s Journalist of the Year for his feature on domestic violence, “Home is Where the Hurt Is”. Dalton is a feature writer for The Courier-Mail’s Qweekend magazine.

Dalton said he was “excited and humbled” by the award, and shared the honour with his Qweekend colleagues, particularly noting the photographers he had worked with over the last six years.  He dedicated the honour to the ABC’s John Bean, Paul Lockyer and Gary Ticehurst.

In a tribute to John Bean, it was announced that from 2012 the Clarion award for camerawork will be named the John Bean Memorial Award for Television News or Current Affairs Camerawork, and will be sponsored by the ABC.  Bean was a finalist in this year’s Clarions and was a previous winner for Best Cinematography.

In a year of record entries, thirteen Clarions went to coverage of the state’s recent natural disasters.

2011 QUEENSLAND CLARION AWARD WINNERS

All Media - Young Journalist of the Year

Sponsored by Department of the Premier and Cabinet

Jared Owens, The Australian, Body of Work

 

All Media - Most Outstanding Journalism Student - Regional Campus

Sponsored by Queensland Parliamentary Media Gallery

Jodie Stephens, University of the Sunshine Coast, Body of Work

 

All Media - Most Outstanding Journalism Student - Metropolitan Campus

Sponsored by Queensland Parliamentary Media Gallery

Robert Forsaith, The University of Queensland, Body of Work

Regional & Community Media - Broadcast Report

Sponsored by Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance

Bruce Atkinson, ABC Radio News, “Rocky Flood”

 

Regional & Community Media - News Photograph Print/Online

Sponsored by ABC

Nat Bromhead, Fraser Coast Chronicle, “The Tragic Passing of George Kotis”

 

Regional & Community Media - Feature Article or Opinion Piece Print/Online

Sponsored by James Cook University

Owen Jacques, Sunshine Coast Daily, “The Words of a Flood Hero”

 

Regional & Community Media - News Report Print/Online

Sponsored by Ipswich City Council

Kieran Campbell, Sunshine Coast Daily, “At the Centre of a WikiLeaks Storm”

 

All Media - Excellence in Rural Journalism

Sponsored by Rural Press Club

Pip Courtney, Landline, ABC TV, “Diesel Dash”

 

All Media - Multicultural Affairs Reporting

Sponsored by Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland

Peter McCutcheon, 7.30 Report, ABC TV, “From Nauru to Citizenship”

 

All Media - Social Issues Reporting

Sponsored by Queensland Council of Social Service

Trent Dalton, The Courier-Mail Qweekend, “Home Is Where The Hurt Is”

 

All Media - Indigenous Issues Reporting

Sponsored by Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance

Grantlee Kieza, The Courier-Mail Qweekend, “Million Dollar Noby”

 

All Media - Business Journalism

Sponsored by Queenslanders Credit Union

Mark Ludlow, The Australian Financial Review, “The QR National Sale”

 

Print/Online - Three Headings

Sponsored by Seven Network (Brisbane)

Phil Stafford, The Courier-Mail Qweekend, “Capitation, not Capitulation”

 

All Media - Cartoon, Illustration or Graphic

Sponsored by Media Super

Tim Hannaford, Gold Coast Bulletin, “Osama Bin Laden's Death”

 

Best Online Journalism

Sponsored by Esri Australia

ABC News Online team, ABC News Online, “Queensland floods: Before and After Interactive”

 

All Media - Sports Journalism

Sponsored by Treasury Wine Estates

Peter Badel, The Sunday Mail, “State of Origin Racism Scandal”

 

All Media - Commentary, Analysis, Opinion & Critique

Sponsored by Three Plus

Peter Doherty, Seven News Brisbane, “Live Flood Commentary & Analysis”

 

Print/Online - Photographic Essay

Sponsored by The Walkley Foundation

Brian Cassey, News Limited Group, “Yasi”

 

Print/Online - News Photograph

Sponsored by Nikon

Rob Maccoll, News Queensland, “Is That All You've Got?”

 

Television - News and Current Affairs Camera Work

Sponsored by Media Super

Jeremy Ward, Seven News Brisbane, “Lockyer Valley Flood”

 

All Media - Broadcast Interview

Sponsored by Queensland Police Union

Annie Guest, PM, ABC Radio National and Local Radio, “Insurers Back Council Flood Maps”

 

Television - Current Affairs, Feature, Documentary or Special Broadcast

Sponsored by Queensland Police Union

Peter Doherty, Seven News Brisbane, “The Flood of 2011”

 

Print/Online - Feature Article

Sponsored by Local Government Association of Queensland

Natasha Bita, The Weekend Australian Magazine, “Virus in the System”

 

Radio - Current Affairs, Feature, Documentary or Special Broadcast

Sponsored by Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance

Stephanie Smail, AM, The World Today and PM, ABC Radio National and Local Radio, “Surviving Yasi”

 

Radio - News Report

Sponsored by John Deere Limited

Melinda Howells, Chris O'Brien, Emma Pollard, Siobhan Barry and Kerrin Binnie, ABC Radio News, “Newman's Switch”

 

Television - News Report

Sponsored by QUT Creative Industries

Erin Edwards, Geoff Breusch, Jeremy Ward, Luke Miers, Seven News Brisbane, “Lockyer Valley Flood”

Print/Online - News Report

Sponsored by Nine News

Michael McKenna, Jamie Walker, Hedley Thomas, Amanda Gearing and Graham Lloyd, The Australian, “Floodwaters Show No Mercy”

 

All Media - Investigative Journalism

Sponsored by The Courier-Mail

Tony Koch and Sarah Elks, The Australian, “Model Indigenous College Fights Claims”

 

Journalist of the Year

Sponsored by Griffith University

Trent Dalton, The Courier-Mail Qweekend

 

Most Outstanding Contribution to Journalism

Sponsored by The University of Queensland

Tony Koch, The Australian

 

 

For further information: Queensland Organising Director Michelle Rae - 0411 757 669