The Advertiser crowned SA’s best newsroom after dominating SA Press Club awards – including coveted Gold gong
The Advertiser and Sunday Mail has been crowned the state’s best newsroom after its journalists dominated South Australia’s media awards.
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The Advertiser and Sunday Mail has been crowned the state’s best newsroom after its journalists dominated South Australia’s media awards.
News Corp Australia journalists won in four categories, including the coveted Gold award at a gala SA Press Club dinner in Adelaide last night.
Chief court reporter Sean Fewster, editor Gemma Jones and state political editor Kathryn Bermingham scored a hat-trick of awards for their investigation into former opposition leader David Speirs.
The Advertiser in September published a video of Mr Speirs appearing to snort a white powder off his kitchen bench.
Judges praised the “clear” Gold winning story as a “game-changer” that “may have never seen the light of day”. The trio also won best news report and best scoop.
“Tackling this issue required journalistic courage, commitment, sparked considerable public debate, led to the sitting MP resigning, police charges being laid and then set in train a telling by-election in the seat of Black,” they said.
“In journalistic terms, it ticked all the boxes.”
Mr Speirs claimed the video was a deep fake but he has not reported that claim to police.
A renowned forensic expert hired by The Advertiser found no evidence the vision was a deepfake.
Mr Speirs denies wrongdoing and has vowed to clear his name in court.
Education and social affairs editor Lauren Novak, who won Gold last year, earned best feature for her harrowing SA Weekend piece “Emma’s story” about a domestic violence survivor.
It was a back-to-back category win.
Reporters Isabel McMillan and George Yankovich were runners up for Young Journalist of the Year behind Nine News’s Kelly Hughes.
Mark Brake won best photograph for his astonishing split-second shot of former Port star Dan Houston set to bump Adelaide Crow Izak Rankine during the August Showdown.
His Getty Images frame was splashed across the Sunday Mail.
Bermingham, Brad Crouch, Brenton Edwards, Andrew Hough, Michael McGuire, Novak, Evangeline Polymeneas and Simeon Thomas-Wilson were also commended.
“We work really hard at The Advertiser every day for our readers and we appreciate the recognition from the SA Press Club,” Editor Gemma Jones said.
Club president Rory McClaren said standards from a record almost 300 entries were “extremely high”.
“The offering from Sean, Gemma and Kathryn was a clear winner of the Gold Award,” he said.
“Judges believed it was as close to the definition of agenda-setting journalism as you could find.”
The stellar career of the late Rob Brown was also recognised with his entry into the club’s Hall of Fame.
The veteran senior Seven Network camera operator died in March, aged 61.
His family, including daughter Ellie and her Crows star husband Taylor “Tex” Walker, proudly accepted his Lifetime Achievement Award.
Nine News’ Ben Avery and the ABC’s Stephanie Richards were joint best broadcasters.
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Originally published as The Advertiser crowned SA’s best newsroom after dominating SA Press Club awards – including coveted Gold gong
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