The NT Independent has won another NT Media Award, this time for Best Crime/Court reporting in the “all media” category, beating out Sky News and the ABC, marking the second win in this category in three years and the fourth gong for the online newspaper since starting in March 2020.

Journalists David Wood and Christopher Walsh won the NT Media Award for their coverage of the police’s systemic failures in the shooting death of Kumanjayi Walker and the cover-up in the subsequent murder trial of former NT Police officer Zach Rolfe, that is currently under investigation by the Victoria Police.

The awards, organised by the Media and Entertainment Arts Alliance, the Walkley Foundation and the Darwin Press Club, were judged by a panel of academics, journalists and editors from major media outlets across the country.

“…Against the resistance of the [Northern Territory Government] and police, the NT Independent’s expose on the internal police investigation into the Rolfe case revealed significant failings including that the shooting death of Kumanjayi Walker most likely could’ve been avoided had police planned their response,” the judges said.

The judges added that the NT Independent won out over strong submissions from Sky News correspondent Matt Cunningham for his coverage of the Matt Wright saga and ABC’s Melissa McKay’s coverage of the “domestic violence royal commission”.

Accepting the award on Saturday night, Walsh once again called on the Darwin media fraternity for their help in overturning the ongoing ban on the NT Independent by the now-Fyles Labor Government from attending press conferences and obtaining information from the government.

“We keep winning these and I’ve kept telling you all for years that we need to work together, but nobody has done anything to date about this ban,” he said. “It could be resolved in a day if everyone got on board and demanded we be permitted to attend.”

The NT Independent is also a finalist for the Walkely Awards for the same investigative series, which will be held on November 23 in Sydney.

Other notable winners at the NT Media Awards included Sky News correspondent Matt Cunningham being named Journalist of the Year, NT News reporter Riley Walter picking up the Young Journalist of the Year award and The Australian’s Liam Mendes winning Best News Coverage and Visual Storytelling awards for his national coverage of the Alice Springs youth crime crisis.

NT Press Club president Sarah Spina-Matthews said the calibre of entries this year was exceptional.

“I would like to congratulate all of the winners, finalists and entrants, as well as all of the members of the NT media industry who work hard every day to keep the public informed and hold those in power to account – quality journalism is incredibly important in the Northern Territory and these awards demonstrate the calibre of work being produced here,” she said.

FULL LIST OF WINNERS OF THE 2023 NT MEDIA AWARDS:

Best News Coverage supported by Media Super

• Liam Mendes, The Australian, “Northern Territory body of work”

Best Feature Writing supported by ABC

• Matt Cunningham, Sky News Australia – Darwin Bureau, “Stories of the NT”

Best Magazine or Lift Out supported by MEAA

• Off the Leash Team, Off the Leash Magazine

TELEVISION/RADIO

Best News Coverage supported by Nine

• Matt Cunningham, Sky News Australia – Darwin Bureau, “The Violence that Gripped the NT”

Best Current Affairs or Feature supported by Telstra

• Matt Garrick, ABC News Darwin, “Behind a social breakdown”

Excellence in Radio Broadcasting supported by Media Super

• Myles Houlbrook-Walk, ABC’s triple J Hack, “The lives of young people in the Territory”

ALL MEDIA

Best Online Coverage supported by City of Darwin

• Matt Garrick, Hamish Harty, Emily Sakzewski and Steve Vivian, ABC News Darwin, “Fight for Peace”

Best Sports Journalism supported by MEAA

• Myles Houlbrook-Walk, ABC, “Body of work”

Best Crime / Court Reporting supported by Maurice Blackburn Lawyers

• David Wood and Christopher Walsh, NT Independent, “Fatal Failures: Behind the scenes of the Zach Rolfe affair”

Pete Davies Memorial Campaigning Journalism Award supported by NT News

• Roxanne Fitzgerald, ABC, “Turning a blind eye”

Indigenous Affairs Reporting supported by Northern Land Council

• Jane Bardon, ABC News Darwin, “Toxic mine dust inaction, Water map petition and The police and Peppimenarti”

Visual Storytelling supported by ABC

• Liam Mendes, The Australian, “Northern Territory body of work”

GOLD AWARDS

Marchbanks Young Journalist of the Year supported by MEAA

• Riley Walter, NT News

NT Journalist of the Year supported by MEAA

• Matt Cunningham, SKY News Australia – Darwin Bureau