Debra Jopson has worked as a journalist in Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong and London. During her 18 years as a staff writer and editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, she specialised in Indigenous Affairs. She also covered the health and rural rounds and conducted 15 major investigations over four years as part of a four-member team. She has won a Walkley award, several human rights awards and the United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Prize print award.

Judges’ comments:

“Jopson’s entry displayed a diversity of significant and sensitive stories in a range of publications and made use of multimedia platforms. Her experience shines through in her sympathetic reporting of indigenous and political issues from an independent stance, and her courageous exposure of injustice without compromising the dignity of her subjects.”