Supported by Walkley Public Fund and proudly supported by the Dennoch Fund, a sub-fund of the Australian Communities Foundation.
The Masters & McKenzie Investigative Journalism Fellowship
About the workshop
Mid-career investigative journalists are invited to apply for the Masters & McKenzie Investigative Journalism Fellowship. Five applicants will be selected as fellows and have the opportunity to attend a two-day workshop program in Sydney on July 5-6, 2025. The workshop will feature Walkley-winning investigative journalists sharing insights into how they broke major stories.
This is an invaluable opportunity to learn from an incredible line-up of talent in a small group, and build an ongoing network of other investigative journalists. The workshop program will offer opportunities for fellows to ask questions about their specific projects/challenges, and include informal networking opportunities to build a cohort of investigative journalists ready to take their work to the next level. The program will also feature sessions with legal experts and commissioning editors/producers who will advise on best practices at structuring legally sound and impactful investigations.
While the specific tools and platforms investigations use vary between media organisations, this program will be focused on the fundamental principles that drive the investigative process. Fellows will hear from experienced individuals giving real world examples of how they built a story, the ones that went right and the ones that went wrong, with plenty of time for questions and discussions so fellows can apply learnings to their own projects.
Who should apply?
- Participants must be news journalists with a minimum of five years’ experience
- Participants must be Australian citizens, permanent residents of Australia, or journalists residing in Australia working for an Australian media outlet on an appropriate visa
- Participants must demonstrate a need for increased investigative journalism skills in their application and how they would put skills into practice afterwards
- Applications from rural, regional, and smaller media outlets and freelancers will be welcomed
How to apply
Applications open 17 April, 2025 and close 12 May, 2025.
Apply free via the AwardForce platform
- Applicants must pitch an investigative idea in their local area or area of interest OR submit three examples of their previous work. Priority would be given to those who have pitched a promising or realistic pitch OR whose previous work, even if not investigative in nature, demonstrates strong on-the-ground reporting experience. The selection panel recognises issues of confidentiality around pitching specific story ideas.
- Participants must have support of an editor or publisher for their application and an intention to publish a work utilising the skills acquired / enhanced during the course
Application process
- A selection panel will review the applications and meet to select the cohort
- If required as part of the selection process, video interviews will be conducted with the frontrunners
- Successful applicants will be asked to sign an agreement before they are announced in June 2025
- Successful applicants must attend the workshop in Sydney on 5-6 July
- Participants are required to attend at 8.30am on Saturday morning 5 July. Non-Sydney participants can make a case in their application for financial support towards flights, fuel, and accommodation should their news organisation be unable to fund their travel
Please check the Terms & Conditions before applying.
Supported by
The Masters & McKenzie Investigative Journalism Fellowship is supported by Walkley Public Fund and proudly supported by the Dennoch Fund, a sub-fund of the Australian Communities Foundation.
Further information
James Gorman at james.gorman@walkleys.com.
Confirmed speakers
Chris Masters is a Gold Walkley Award-winning investigative reporter working across the Australian media sector for more than 50 years. He has worked on Australia's longest-running current affairs program, the ABC's Four Corners, where his reporting has initiated royal commissions and significant public policy reform. Flawed Hero, his most challenging work by his own estimation, is his sixth book.
Nick McKenzie is one of Australia's most decorated investigative journalists, having been named Australian Journalist of the Year four times. He has worked for the ABC's Four Corners program, Nine's 60 Minutes and The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. He has been awarded a Walkley 15 times.
Pamela Williams is an investigative journalist who spent 30 years at The Australian Financial Review. She also spent three years at The Australian and was Executive Producer of the 7.30 Report in the early 1990s. She is the author of the 1997 best-selling political campaign book, The Victory and the 2013 best-seller, Killing Fairfax, which won the Walkley Book Award. She has won a total of seven Walkley Awards, including the Gold Walkley in 1998 and the Walkley for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism in 2023. She has also won the Graham Perkin Journalist of the Year award; the George Munster award; the Melbourne Press Club/Trawalla Arts Journalism award, the Citigroup Journalism award and the Melbourne Press Club Quill award. Pamela is the chair of the Walkley Public Fund Committee.
Larina Alick is Executive Counsel at Nine. Larina advises its newspapers The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review, and its other news teams for television, radio and online. Larina provides pre-publication advice on news stories, such as the investigations into Dr Charlie Teo's surgeries, the PwC tax scandal, and sexual abuse in the hospitality industry. Larina defends the news outlets from complaints and litigation. Her recent work includes the cases of Ben Roberts-Smith, Dr. Munjed Al Muderis and Craig McLachlan. Larina also appears in suppression hearings, to advocate for open justice in criminal and civil proceedings in courts across the country. Larina previously worked at News Corp Australia, and the British Broadcasting Corporation and Schillings Lawyers in London.
Michael Bachelard is a senior writer and former deputy editor and investigations editor of The Age. He has worked in Canberra, Melbourne and Jakarta, has written two books and won multiple awards for journalism, including the Gold Walkley.
Peter Bartlett is one of Australia's leading media law experts. He acts for a wide range of Australian and international media companies. Peter led the defence team in the Ben Roberts-Smith ‘Defamation Trial of the Century’, working very closely with Nick and Chris. He worked pre and post publication with Nick on many of his great stories. Peter was on the Board of Australia's largest law firm, MinterEllison, for 20 years, and served as the firm's Chair. He Chairs the Centre for Advancing Journalism Advisory Board at Melbourne University, and was Vice President of the Melbourne Press Club for 19 years. He served as Chair of the largest Division of the International Bar Association, ‘The Global Voice of the Legal Profession’, the only person from the Asia Pacific Region to occupy that position since the IBA was established in 1947.
Adele Ferguson is a Gold Walkley Award-winning journalist with the ABC. She is the author of the bestselling books Banking Bad and an unauthorised biography on Gina Rinehart. Adele started her career at The Advertiser in Adelaide and over her career has worked across various mastheads including BRW and The Australian. She is a nine-time Walkley Award winner and other awards include two Gold Quill awards, two Gold Kennedy Awards, a Logie and the Graham Perkin Journalist of the Year. In 2019 she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her services to print and broadcast journalism. She has a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from Adelaide University.
Kate McClymont is the chief investigative reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald. She is the previous recipient of 10 Walkley Awards, including the 2002 Gold Walkley and Outstanding Contribution to Journalism in 2023.
Hedley Thomas is The Australian’s national chief correspondent. He has won eight Walkley awards including two Gold Walkleys; first in 2007 for his investigations into the Australian Federal Police investigations of Dr Mohamed Haneef, and in 2018 for his podcast, The Teacher’s Pet, investigating the 1982 murder of Lynette Dawson.