Winners: The Media Diversity Australia Award administered by the Walkley Foundation

Supported by Media Diversity Australia, CoHealth and The National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters’ Council 

Read all the winners of the Mid-Year Celebration of Journalism here.


From biker gangs to prison, Mahmood Fazal is an Afghan-Australian writer on a mission to amplify the voices we don’t hear. After abandoning his role as the sergeant-at-arms of the Mongols Motorcycle Club, Mahmood has devoted his life to bare-knuckle stories that challenge our views on crime, violence, imprisonment and radicalisation. He was awarded Journalist of the Year at the 2018 Publish Awards and shortlisted for Best Documentary at the Australian Podcast Awards. Mahmood is currently writing a memoir, due to be published by Harper Collins in 2021. His writing appears in VICE, The Monthly, i-D and The Saturday Paper.


Rebecca Metcalf is a filmmaker and journalist, currently a shooter-producer at The Feed on SBS. She has also produced for VICE and Audible and has worked as a print news reporter/editor. No Gangsters in Paradise is her first audio documentary. Rebecca aims to make work that allows for nuance and experiments with form. 

Judges’ comment: No Gangsters in Paradise provides an honest and raw look into an often marginalised Australian community. It’s a deep dive into some very dramatic events and circumstances from many years ago, the context around which remains extremely relevant today.

The Media Diversity Australia Award honours journalists who are making an outstanding contribution through their reporting or coverage of diverse people or issues in Australia. This includes culturally and linguistically diverse communities (CALD) and people with disability (PWD).

It celebrates reporting that demonstrates notable courage in raising awareness of CALD and/or PWD experiences and perspectives, as well as innovation in the telling of these stories. It recognises the significance of media coverage in providing nuanced reporting which serves to alter perceptions and attitudes, challenge stereotypes and fight misinformation.