WA Media Awards 2024: Seven West is best! Journalists commended for amazing work

Seven West Media journalists have once again been recognised as leaders in their field with a dominant display in the WA Media Awards.

In a reinforcement of the newsroom’s storytelling power, every category in the Text Format division was won by SWM journalists, which included Best Headline, Feature, News and Suburban. And for the second year in a row, The West Australian took home the award for best news photograph.

The Hugh Schmitt Prize for best feature went to STM’s Jade Jurewicz. Her moving piece in The Sunday Times’ flagship magazine detailed Marite Norris’ fight to bring colour and joy back to her world after her three children, Mo, 12, Evie, 10, Otis, eight, and their grandfather Nick were shot down on Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 10 years ago.

The West Australian photographer Daniel Wilkins won best news photograph for his heart-wrenching photographs at the funeral of Tiffany Woodley, who was allegedly beaten to death by her ex-partner.

And four journalists from the PerthNow Local papers scooped a trove of gongs. Harriet Flinn took home the Eaves-Prior Day Prize, which is awarded to a new journalist or cadet; senior reporter Rachel Fenner won the Suburban category with her series, “Voices of Rockingham”, and sub-editors Michael Palmer and David Friedlos took out Best Headline for “Brains Trust”.

West Australian Newspapers editor Sarah-Jane Tasker commended the company’s winners.

“Daniel Wilkins’ heartbreaking images from the funeral of Tiffany Woodley deserve the accolades for honouring a young mum taken too soon, while Jade Jurewicz’s respectful and impactful profile of a mum who endured the unthinkable was beautifully written and touched the hearts of the entire State,” she said.

“Michael Palmer and David Friedlos — stalwarts of our terrific suburban papers — are rightly celebrated as witty wordsmiths and Harriet Flinn and Rachel Fenner, also from our PerthNow papers, are worthy winners.

“The West Australian boasts a team of professionals at the top of their game, skilled in the art of compelling story telling. At Seven West Media WA we are proud of the amazing talent across our many products and celebrate the excellent journalism we produce daily.”

The West Australian’s former state political editor Josh Zimmerman won best news report for his series exposing alleged failures at Joondalup Health Campus.

Seven cameraman Simon Hydzik won the camerawork category for his coverage of the Israel-Hamas War.

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance’s WA Media Awards recognises the best of WA journalism.

Paul Garvey of The Australian won WA Journalist of the Year.