Michael West Media scoops the prize pool in the 2025 Walkey Awards
journalists Michael West Media At this year’s Walkey Awards for Excellence in Journalism, they won the pool with at least 28 Walkeys*.
of this year Golden Walkey It was a hard-fought affair (not sponsored by Woodside), with Rex Patrick taking out the gong for his work on government transparency and Australia’s 60-year campaign to steal Timor’s oil and gas.
Rex Patrick with his Golden Walkey
Veteran journalist Wendy Bacon joins the giants of Australia’s media landscape as a member of the prestigious media Walkey Hall of Fame. Bacon also won the award Outstanding Contribution to Journalism For his work with Yaakov Aharon MWM Special Envoys to Combat Antisemitism Scams (not supported by the Zionist Federation of Australia’s Tel Aviv litigation budget).
Wendy Bacon Walkeys Hall of Fame
Bacon and Patrick took charge of independent unity in a monumental year Michael West Media At Australia’s most prestigious and magnificent awards night. Other winners included Josh Barnett, Stephanie Tran, Michael Pascoe, Kim Wingerei, Sarah Russell, Yaakov Aharon, Harry Chemay, Stuart McCarthy and Zach Szumer.
Wendy Bacon also took it home Walkey Award for Investigative Journalism (Not endorsed by the Victor Chang Institute) It was ranked second for its courageous coverage of the St Vincent’s Hospital debacle and for coverage of foreign lobbyists and fossil fuel lobbyists interfering with Australian governments.
Truly a turning point
Commenting on the turning point in the history of world journalism, MWM founder Michael West thanked the community, politicians and business leaders, especially the Walkey jury, for their genial delight.
“We couldn’t have done this without the jurors,” West said in his tearful acceptance speech. “Me and the judges, we’re friends,” he told the large audience, clearly moved by the episode. “But we also owe a debt of gratitude to Australia’s politicians and business leaders for providing such good material to study, and of course our platinum sponsors NotSantos and NotPwC.”
Stephanie Tran won Young Journalist of the Year (Not sponsored by Accenture) and placed second in the competition. Walkey Scoop An episode that exposes a multi-billion dollar coal scam against workers, with input from Special Tax Collectors (Not sponsored by BHP).
Stephanie Tran Walkey Young Journalist of the Year
Josh Barnett, Global Managing Director of The West Report Multimedia, won both, unprecedented in the visual categories. Television Video Current Affairs short and long form awards for Australia’s Baby Bust And The Fall of Triple J. (Not sponsored by Deloitte)
Josh Barnett TV and Current Affairs Walkey winner
Legendary commentator Michael Pascoe is in the running as the winner of the contest. Business Walkey (Note sponsored by KPMG) For consistently keeping interest rates right this year, unlike Reserve Bank of Australia governors and the mainstream financial press. He was also praised for his work in tearing down strips of suspicious operators.
“Not just another reward!”. Walkey winner Michael Pascoe
MWM broadcaster and journalist Kim Wingerei revealed: Walkey Award for Public Interest Journalism For revealing that Peter Dutton’s Nuclear Power Plant cost $4.3 trillion (not $600 billion). Thank you to sponsors NotNewsCorp.
Kim Wingerei proud of Walkey Award winner
inside Social Equality Note In the EY-sponsored category, the jury was judged by Dr Dr, who told the story of Pay Per Shower, which saw the government allow private operators to profit from elderly and helpless people taking showers. He gave this award to Sarah Russell; because as everyone knows, showering is a luxury for aged care and not a necessity for basic needs like a Foxtel subscription for older Australians.
Harry Chemay’s excellent financial analysis of the housing market, especially the Hunger Games trilogy, and his work on retirement and banking caught the jury’s attention. Mortgage Mountain.
Runners-up were Alison Battisson and Janet Pelly for their excellent reporting and analysis of the Government’s most ridiculous deal of the year, the $2 billion illegal payment to Nauru that helped fund the biker gang community, and corrupt Nauruan officials secretly plotting to deport asylum seekers in Australia back to the countries they fled.
Indonesia correspondent Duncan Graham said: International Walkey whose work includes stories about the millions spent catching poor Indonesian fishermen diving for sea slugs and studies exposing Australia’s Border Bullying of asylum seekers.
inside Comment and Analysis The category was pure heat. Andrew Gardiner took the gong with him Julie Bishop wears many hats (not endorsed by Boston Consulting Group). He shares this jointly with Australia’s best defense correspondent Stuart McCarthy and Who Knew, but we’re splitting hairs here as every Stuart story is worth a Walkey.
Michael West had hoped to return to the Podium after years at Walkey Wilderness, but missed the opportunity this year. his scoop Kings’ School Principal Controversy He may have won the news, but the real headmaster of The King School is incredibly still at his job.
And its The massive wage theft uncovered by BHP attracted the attention of many readers, but it was such a huge fraud that no one could do anything, and it remains in court to this day.
But his efforts to bribe and threaten the jury were unsuccessful, and West still received someone else’s Walkey Award for the photo.
- Editor’s Note: This is a satire. The Walkleys are on stage tomorrow night.
Michael West was founded Michael West Media Focusing on public interest journalism in 2016, particularly the increasing power of corporations over democracy. West was formerly a journalist and editor for Fairfax newspapers, a columnist for News Corp and was even once a stockbroker.
