A special investigation series into five senior NT Police officers who lied to a coronial inquest about the TRG’s racist awards has been recognised at the NT Media Awards for best crime/court reporting of the year, but the matter continues to be ignored by the Chief Minister and the NT Police top brass, who have refused to hold anyone accountable for lying in stat decs and later attempting to destroy evidence.

The NT Independent was recognised for the series, titled “Deception in the NT Police Ranks“, which explored the story behind the five officers misleading the court and the efforts they took to cover it up. The series also exposed that the joint NT Police/ICAC investigation was deeply flawed from the beginning and did not properly investigate the creation of the so-called “Noogudah awards”, or the concerted effort to mislead the court and the public.

But Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has previously ruled out taking any action against the five officers, despite the overwhelming evidence against them.

A lot of the awards handed out on Saturday night, including to this masthead, the ABC and the NT News, were for articles focused on dysfunction in the Northern Territory’s law and justice system or bumbling incompetence by another government department.

For the Independent’s series, the award judges raised the issue of the government, the NT Police and the ICAC all attempting to “brush the scandal under the carpet”, which they said was “disgraceful”.

“Chris Walsh and David Wood’s reporting revealed damning information about the special treatment afforded to NT Police officers at the centre of the ‘Noogadah award’ racism scandal,” the judges wrote.

“Walsh and Wood exposed the disgraceful attempts by the force, and the Territory’s integrity agencies, to brush the scandal under the proverbial carpet.

“Walsh and Wood’s reporting was dogged, meticulous and in the public interest, with each story revealing some fresh failure by NT Police, or a public agency, to deal with the scandal in the way they ought to have. Their entry was a clear standout and a worthy winner.”

Walsh said the online paper was honoured to be recognised by the judges, who are media professionals from across the country.

“It was great to be recognised for this investigative series and the issues it raised, but we can’t help but feel disappointed that despite the rest of the country recognising what went on here was wrong, the Chief Minister, the NT Police executive and the Office of the ICAC continue to cover-up serious crimes committed by members of the police force, who are supposed to be enforcing the law and beyond reproach,” he said.

“This matter needs to be resolved so the public can continue to have trust in the NT Police force. If a member of the public had been caught doing what these guys did, they’d be in jail.

“It’s another embarrassment for the Northern Territory on a national stage and goes to a sickening lack of leadership in this jurisdiction.”

Chips Mackinolty honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award

Other NT Media Award winners from Saturday night included the ABC’s Matt Garrick, who picked up two awards for his feature titled “Breaking Out of the NT’s Prison Crisis” and NT News reporter Zizi Averill for her body of work titled “Justice on the Brink”.

The Best News Coverage (print-text) and the Best Online Coverage awards went to the ABC’s Jack Hislop and David O’Shea for their articles exposing government incompetence in their series titled “Darwin’s Fuel Tank Fiasco”, about the US-based company’s construction of massive fuel tanks that were not constructed properly.

In a historic victory, NT News sports reporter Nathaniel Chambers won Best Sports Journalism for his body of work, which broke a decades-long curse of the NT News not winning the award despite being the only media organisation in the city with a dedicated sports reporting team and despite seemingly having been shutout unfairly over the years.

ABC Radio’s Liz Trevaskis won Best News Coverage (television/radio) for her interview with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ahead of the May election about his sudden announcement that Labor would take back control of the Darwin Port if re-elected.

Journalist of the Year was awarded to the ABC’s Charmayne Allison and Xavier Martin for their retelling of the “Pintupi Nine” story, a “lost tribe” of Indigenous Australians who were unaware of the European colonisation of Australia until 1984.

A highlight of the awards night involved the first Lifetime Achievement Award being awarded to long-time journalist and artist Chips Mackinolty for his decades of work in the Northern Territory and his mentoring of the NT’s younger journalists.

Organisers pointed out that Mackinolty’s “cheeky commentary on successive NT governments adorns gallery and museum walls across the country”.

“He has mentored young journalists across the Northern Territory and his infamous pasta nights provide refuge for underpaid and overworked media workers as they navigate the nuanced political and linguistic minefields of the NT,” the judges said.

“He’s had an undeniable impact on the Australian media landscape.”