Seven Australian journalists have been selected to take part in the inaugural Masters & McKenzie Investigative Journalism Fellowship.
The program was launched in 2025, named for multi-Walkley Award-winning investigative journalists Chris Masters and Nick McKenzie, who were recognised in 2023 with the Walkley Honour For Media Freedom for their ongoing investigative stories about Ben Roberts-Smith across more than six years. The Fellowship is supported by the Walkley Public Fund and proudly supported by the Dennoch Fund, a sub-fund of the Australian Communities Foundation.
The seven journalists who will attend a two-day workshop in Sydney in July, featuring Chris Masters, Nick McKenzie and a host of other investigative journalism talent, are (in alphabetical order):
- Mridula Amin, Freelance, Sydney, NSW
- Lucas Baird, The Australian Financial Review, Sydney, NSW
- William Davis, Brisbane Times, Brisbane, QLD
- Julian Fell, ABC News, Brisbane, QLD
- Erin Parke, ABC News, Broome, WA
- Krista Schade, The Riverine Grazier, Hay, NSW
- Sarah Sharples, News.com.au, Sydney, NSW
Above, top row from left: Mridula Amin, Lucas Baird, William Davis, Julian Fell. Bottom row, from left: Erin Parke, Krista Schade, Sarah Sharples. (Photos: supplied)
The judges were impressed by the calibre and scope of the 47 applications received. In selecting the seven winners, the judges weighed up the quality of the applicants’ examples of past work, the area or story they proposed to investigate, and which applicants would benefit most from the opportunity.
The judges said: ‘The enthusiastic response to this fellowship shows just how needed it is for Australian mid-career journalists. The opportunity to connect in a small group and hear from the cream of Australian investigative journalists is one we hope will pay dividends in their careers and the media landscape. Our decision was very difficult. We applaud all the applicants and hope the diversity of the inaugural fellows will encourage the widest possible range of applications for future rounds of the Masters & McKenzie Investigative Fellowship, including those who were unsuccessful this time.’
The judges were members of the Walkley Public Fund Committee:
- Paul Bailey
- Dan Bourchier
- Alan Sunderland
- Pamela Williams
The winners will attend a two-day workshop program in Sydney on the weekend of 5-6 July, 2025. The workshop will feature a series of in-depth sessions with Walkley-winning investigative journalists Kate McClymont, Adele Ferguson, Hedley Thomas, Chris Masters and Nick McKenzie who will share insights into how they broke major stories. In addition there will be separate panels with lawyers Peter Bartlett of Minter Ellison and Larina Alick of Nine; and with ABC’s Jo Puccini and Michael Bachelard of The Age, who will offer their perspectives on preparing investigations for broadcast and publication. Pamela Williams will chair the workshop.
The Walkley Foundation is planning to open applications for a second workshop to be held in early 2026, thanks to the generous support of our donors. Please sign up to the Walkley newsletter to stay in touch with news on this program. www.walkleys.com/subscribe.
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Media Contacts:
- James Gorman on +414 990 480 or at james.gorman@walkleys.com
- Clare Fletcher on clare.fletcher@walkleys.com