ABC’s Russell Jackson wins the Melbourne Press Club Gold Quill Award
ABC journalist Russell Jackson has been awarded the Melbourne Press Club’s Gold Quill award for his feature on Aboriginal AFL footballer Robert Muir, with the judges saying the “outstanding” piece gave a “compelling and confronting insight into the impact of racism”.
The award-winning story, The Persecution of Robert Muir, published in August 2020, outlines a decade-long campaign of racial abuse that pushed the 1970s St Kilda VFL star to the point of despair.
“The impact of this superb piece of journalism cannot be overstated,” the judges said. “It has transformed Robbie Muir’s life, sparked long overdue apologies, and contributed significantly to a wider community conversation.”
Jackson also won the Sports Feature category.
In a golden night for the ABC, its teams and journalists also won the categories for Podcasting, Excellence in Indigenous Affairs Reporting, Radio Current Affairs, Radio News, Regional & Rural Journalism, Coverage of Women in Sport and Reporting Disability Issues.
They were also highly commended for Best Business Story, Coverage of an Issue Or Event, Feature Writing, Investigative Journalism, Innovation in Journalism and TV Camerawork (Creative).
The full list of ABC winners:
PODCASTING
Rachael Brown, Josie Taylor, Tim Roxburgh & Martin Peralta: Trace: The Informer
Judges’ Citation: Exhaustive effort to build trust over days, weeks and months secured this team exclusive access to their subject, including recording at an international secret location. The host’s presence in the story added a welcome dimension – her vulnerability made for a truly authentic delivery. The piece balanced suspense and delivery of information through its narration, first-class audio production values and use of cross-platform curation. All the ingredients of best-practice podcasting.
QUILL FOR RECOGNISING EXCELLENCE IN INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS REPORTING
Belinda Hawkins, Andy Burns, Rebecca Armstrong & Ian Harley: Australian Story, ‘Making his Mark’
A clear winner in this category, which allowed Marlion and his family to tell their story in their own voice. Marlion Pickett’s story, like many stories of Indigenous sports champions, is mostly filtered through the lens of sport. But this piece was about Marlion’s journey of facing adversity, including drugs and time in prison, and was relayed openly and powerfully. Marlion’s courage in telling his story allowed the audience to share a journey that many Australians know little about. The story powerfully touched on the institutional barriers facing Indigenous Australians, the experience of entrenched disadvantage and racism. Richmond’s leaders spoke revealingly about how they had to break down these barriers and their own prejudices if Marlion was to get his chance. It was also a compelling exploration of the power of family. Marlion’s story is ultimately one of overcoming adversity and fighting for change, and how Australia can benefit by recognising how much our First Nation people contribute when given a chance. It should inspire us all.
RADIO CURRENT AFFAIRS
Matilda Marozzi, Virginia Trioli, Katrina Palmer & Julz Hay, ABC Radio Melbourne, ‘Mother and child call out Victoria Police for domestic abuse failures’
Judges’ Citation: This compelling piece by ABC Radio Melbourne Mornings exposed the problem of police-perpetrated family violence, using the medium of radio to provide a safe environment for a mother and her 13-year-old son to tell a chilling story of how the system had failed them. It resulted in an IBAC investigation, saw an assistant commissioner moved from the family violence portfolio, prompted an apology from the Police Minister about the way the case had been handled and led to follow-up national TV and newspaper coverage of this important issue.
RADIO NEWS
Richard Willingham, ABC Radio News, ‘Did Health Minister Jenny Mikakos mislead the hotel quarantine inquiry?’
Judges’ Citation: Willingham broke the story that led to the resignation of the Health Minister, Jenny Mikakos. Reporting on a tight deadline, he quickly identified inconsistencies between her testimony to the hotel quarantine inquiry and what was on the public record. It was a story of immense importance to the state with the hotel quarantine bungle ultimately leading to one of the world’s longest COVID lockdowns.
REGIONAL & RURAL JOURNALISM
Charlotte King & Andy Burns, ABC Regional & Background Briefing, ‘Regional stillbirths: No one told these country mums why their babies died’
Judges’ Citation: Charlotte King and Andy Burns, in reporting jointly produced by ABC Regional and Background Briefing, contributed a well-researched and written piece detailing frequently inadequate maternal care, specifically in auditing and responding to stillbirths, in regional parts of the country. A powerful and well-told story that contributed to a national stillbirth audit program, which will improve data collection around preventable deaths.
SPORTS FEATURE
Russell Jackson, ABC News, ‘The Persecution of Robert Muir’
Judges’ Citation: A piece with deep impact. It put you in the shoes of 1970s Aboriginal AFL star Robert Muir and took you on a harrowing journey through decades of racist abuse and mistreatment. The piece required immense mutual trust between subject and writer and great sensitivity in its telling. It was constructed from over 40 hours of interviews. It changed the conversation at a deeply sensitive time for Australian sport.
TV/VIDEO FEATURE (LONG FORM)
Louise Milligan, Mary Fallon & Lauren Day, ABC Four Corners, ‘Boys Club’
Judges’ Citation: Louise Milligan and her Four Corners colleagues unearthed a hidden culture of toxic masculinity and predatory grooming of minors at a Christian private college, a world that usually keeps within its ranks. She was able to obtain on-air interviews with subjects that would have been difficult to get to agree to disclose such sensitive information. Her story led to changes in the school’s governance and attitudes.
THE VICHEALTH QUILL FOR COVERAGE OF WOMEN IN SPORT
Chris Gillett, ABC 7.30, Molly and Coral Taylor
Judges’ Citation: This well-crafted 7.30 report captured the passion, skill and no-nonsense approach of two of the country’s most successful female motorsport competitors. It highlighted the strong motherdaughter bond in a tough male dominated sport where they’ve earned respect and acceptance – inspirational, because it was not based on their gender but on their hard-fought achievements.
THE VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT QUILL FOR REPORTING DISABILITY ISSUES
Chris Gillett, ABC 7.30, ‘Olivia’s Story’
Judges’ Citation: In telling Olivia’s deeply personal story from the heart, Chris Gillett not only exposed the raw fears, challenges and struggles her family faced but also the absolute joy they experienced of a life together. In retracing their path – from the joy of birth to the fears something was not right, the battle for a diagnosis, planning for a life ahead and eventually acceptance and celebration of who Oliva is – Gillett provides the world a wider glimpse of the realities faced by so many others living with a disability. The depth of emotion captured in Gillett’s work builds positive understanding of the issues and of the love experienced by those living with disability, enlightening his audience rather than lecturing to them.
Highly commended:
BEST BUSINESS STORY IN ANY MEDIUM
Adele Ferguson, Lesley Robinson & Lauren Day, ABC Four Corners & The Age: ‘Immoral and Unethical’
COVERAGE OF AN ISSUE OR EVENT
Louise Milligan, Mary Fallon & Lauren Day, ABC Four Corners for ‘Boys Club’
FEATURE WRITING
Cheryl Hall, Belinda Hawkins & Megan Mackander of ABC online for ‘Bad Romance’
THE GRANT HATTAM QUILL FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM
Highly Commended: Louise Milligan, Peter Cronau & Lucy Carter of ABC Four Corners for ‘Inside The Canberra Bubble’
INNOVATION IN JOURNALISM
ABC Digital Stories Innovations Team, www.abc.net.au/news for ‘Visualising the climate crisis’
TV CAMERA WORK (CREATIVE)
Simon Winter of ABC Australian Story for ‘To Catch a Stalker’
