Finalists for the Walkley Business Award were announced at a function hosted by award category sponsor J.P. Morgan in Sydney today.
Stuart Washington, president of the Media Alliance section of the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, compered the finalists announcement luncheon at The Bridge Room in the Sydney CBD.
The Business presenter Ticky Fullerton moderated a panel discussion of the state of play in the media industry featuring Google Australia and New Zealand managing director Nick Leeder and Jarrod McDonald, lead analyst of the Australia and New Zealand media sector at J.P. Morgan.
The three award finalists were announced by Rob Priestley, chief executive of J.P. Morgan Australia and New Zealand.
'All Media: Business Journalism' Finalists
Jane Cadzow, Good Weekend, Fairfax, "The Iron Lady"
Judges' comments: Cadzow’s in-depth feature on Gina Rinehart revealed her secretive nature, her dedication to protecting her father's legacy and her fear of public questioning. Ten days after her article went to print, Rinehart became Fairfax’s largest single shareholder.
Nick McKenzie and Richard Baker, 7.30, ABC TV and The Age, Fairfax, "RBA faces questions over bribery connections"
Judges' comments: Through extensive research, source cultivation and powerful storytelling McKenzie and Baker exposed the alleged involvement of some of the most powerful players in Australian business in high-level misconduct.
Paola Totaro, The Australian Financial Review, "Inside the lair of the David Jones predator"
Putting leather to the pavement, Totaro showed how the $1.65 billion bid for David Jones – that almost conned regulators, lawyers and the wider stock market – was made by a fantasist on the end of a computer.
Read or download the Business Award Finalists Media Release here
