The 2020 winner of the Gold Walkley Award, the highest prize in Australian journalism, was ABC’s Mark Willacy and the ABC Investigations team, Four Corners, for the shocking program “Killing Field” revealing alleged war crimes committed by Australian SAS soldiers. Working tirelessly to find sources within the secretive ranks of the Special Air Service Regiment, the SAS, and spending weeks verifying allegations with family members of alleged murder victims on the ground in war zones, Willacy produced gut-wrenching reports too powerful for the public and the defence hierarchy to ignore. Willacy was interviewed by Chris Masters, Gold Walkley award-winning journalist and author, and the first Australian journalist to be embedded with special forces in Afghanistan, to discuss the program, the difficulties of conducting investigations into one of the more secretive organisations in the country, and the obfuscation of the Australian Defence Force, at the 2020 Walkley Winners' Dinner in Sydney on February 26.

WalkleyTalks Podcast

2021 Gold Walkley-winner Mark Willacy in conversation with Chris Masters

Listen back to this podcast from live talks series “Walkleys Live: The Journalism Gene” at Sydney Festival 2021, with host Benjamin Law discussing Seven News’ host Chris Reason’s middle-of-the-action reporting on the Lindt Café Siege in Sydney and September 11 in New York and reflecting on the lessons of Reason’s esteemed career. This “Walkleys Live: The Journalism Gene” podcast was produced by Sydney Festival in collaboration with the Walkley Foundation.

Walkleys Live 2021: Chris Reason: Terror on the Ground – Lindt Café Siege

Listen back to this podcast from live talks series “Walkleys Live: The Journalism Gene” at Sydney Festival 2021, with host Jan Fran delving into the countless massive investigations broken by The Sydney Morning Herald‘s investigative journalist Kate McClymont, a multiple Walkley-winner and hilarious storyteller. This “Walkleys Live: The Journalism Gene” podcast was produced by Sydney Festival in collaboration with the Walkley Foundation.

Walkleys Live 2021: Kate McClymont: Digging up the underbelly of Sydney's upper echelon

Listen back to this podcast from live talks series “Walkleys Live: The Journalism Gene” at Sydney Festival 2021, with host Benjamin Law discussing with host, video journalist and storyteller Patrick Abboud his reporting from within subcultures and reputation for "doing diversity" right. This “Walkleys Live: The Journalism Gene” podcast was produced by Sydney Festival in collaboration with the Walkley Foundation.

Walkleys Live 2021: Patrick Abboud: 'Doing' Diversity, Out & Proud

Listen back to this podcast from live talks series “Walkleys Live: The Journalism Gene” at Sydney Festival 2021, with host Jan Fran exploring Walkley-winning work “The Killing Times” – an investigation tracking the state-sanctioned massacres of Indigenous people across Australia – with Guardian Australia’s Lorena Allam and Laura Murphy-Oates. This “Walkleys Live: The Journalism Gene” podcast was produced by Sydney Festival in collaboration with the Walkley Foundation.

Walkleys Live 2021: Laura Murphy-Oates & Lorena Allam: The Killing Times

Listen back to this podcast from live talks series “Walkleys Live: The Journalism Gene” at Sydney Festival 2021, with host Benjamin Law discussing the art and pressures of photojournalism in natural disasters with photojournalists Sylvia Liber and Nick Moir. This “Walkleys Live: The Journalism Gene” podcast was produced by Sydney Festival in collaboration with the Walkley Foundation.

Walkleys Live 2021: Nick Moir & Sylvia Liber: Triggered – Photojournalism in Natural Disasters

Journalism helps shine a light on injustice and changes our world for the better, but it can also be really entertaining. Hear from some of Australia’s great storytellers and yarn-spinners about the narrative techniques they use to make sure their message resonates with readers, listeners and viewers. From research to sparkling prose, you won’t want to miss this discussion about how to make great stories. Speakers: Kirsti Melville, documentary producer with ABC RN’s Earshot and The History Listen Helen Pitt, Sydney Morning Herald journalist & 2018 Walkley Book Award-winner for The House Michelle White, journalist, filmmaker & Community Arts Network Moderator: Lenore Taylor, editor, Guardian Australia This talk was recorded at the State Library of Western Australia on November 2, 2019, as part of our journalism festival in Perth, “Shining a light on the Truth”. Thanks to our presenting partner the State Library of Western Australia, and with support from major event partner Edith Cowan University, and event partner Curtin University. This episode was produced by Kevin Suarez, at the 2SER Studios in Sydney, Australia.

The Yarn Spinners

When it comes to our democracy, journalism has a vital role to play in interpreting policy and “keeping the bastards honest”. Hear from editors and political journalists about how they report on the corridors of power, from local councils to state governments and the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery. Speakers: Lenore Taylor, editor, Guardian Australia Lanai Scarr, federal political editor, The West Australian Nathan Hondros, political reporter, WA Today Moderator: Gary Adshead, state political editor, Nine News This talk was recorded at the State Library of Western Australia on November 2, 2019, as part of our journalism festival in Perth, “Shining a light on the Truth”. Thanks to our presenting partner the State Library of Western Australia, and with support from major event partner Edith Cowan University, and event partner Curtin University.

Politics and The Press

The WalkleyTalks podcast hosts some of Australia's brightest and most respected luminaries in engaging, wide-ranging conversations on topics ranging from journalism and politics to sport and culture.