News Awards: DataRoom writer Bridget Carter best in business

Bridget Carter has taken out the Keith McDonald Business Award for excellence in business journalism.

Michael Miller, Sarah and Lachlan Murdoch at the 2019 News Awards held at Foxtel on Oxford in Paddington. Picture: Christian Gilles

The Australian’s Bridget Carter has taken out the Keith McDonald Business Award for excellence in business journalism at this year’s News Awards.

Carter received the award for her work producing the daily ­DataRoom column for The Australian. Her scoops included some of the year’s biggest business mergers and acquisitions, including Asahi’s takeover of Carlton & United Breweries.

Carter paid credit to her contacts, the readers, The Australian’s editor-in-chief, Christopher Dore, and business editor, Eric Johnston.

The Australian’s Bridget Carter. Picture: Hollie Adams

The top award, the Keith Murdoch Award, went to The Sunday Herald Sun’s Annika Smethurst, whose home was raided by AFP officers in June after she reported intelligence agency Australian Signals Directorate was planning surveillance on Australian citizens. The raids triggered global outrage, a High Court appeal and a national press freedom campaign. The award was presented by News Corp co-chairman Lachlan Murdoch.

Mr Murdoch said News Corp journalists embodied the “curiosity and courage” necessary for excellent journalism.

“Annika Smethurst found herself at the fulcrum of political and media debate,” he said. “Incredibly and unjustly she could find herself the subject of criminal charges.”

Accepting her award Smethurst said “my life dramatically changed last year.”

Annika Smethurst at home in Canberra. Picture: Gary Ramage

“I was getting ready to go to work and thought it was the carpet cleaner ... within an hour I had a call from the New York Post and a book offer.”

“I became the story and have not enjoyed the last six months.

“I didn’t want to be the poster girl for this but so be it if it means change.”

The Herald Sun’s Anthony Dowsley and Patrick Carlyon won for Achievements in News Reporting for their tireless coverage of the Lawyer X scandal.

Champion Australian leg spinner Shane Warne won the award for commentary and opinion for his commentary for Fox Sports cricket.

New sports app Kayo won Brand of the Year.

The runaway success has just over 400,000 paid subscribers since its launch in November last year.

News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson said it was an honour to work for a company that proved doubters wrong and every day around the world ­“reflected the social efficacy of your work”.

“It is a genuine honour to celebrate some of the best journalism in the world,” he said.