The Rural Press Club of Victoria congratulates The Weekly Times journalist Emma Field for her Walkley Award for Excellence in Journalism.
The Rural Press Club of Victoria congratulates The Weekly Times journalist Emma Field for her Walkley Award for Excellence in Journalism.
Ms Field, an RPCV member, won the the coverage of community and regional affairs Walkley for her series of news stories on the exploitation of foreign
workers in agriculture and food processing.
The Walkley judges said she “dug into issues close to the hearts and pockets of significant interests in the communities she is assigned to cover”.
“Her work should be seen in the light of actions by the federal government and Fair Work Ombudsman to tackle visa fraud and actions by dodgy labour hire
companies,” the judges concluded.
Ms Field received her award as part of the 60th annual Walkley Awards ceremony held on Thursday night in Melbourne.
RPCV president Rex Martinich said Ms Field’s award reinforced the need for quality, in-depth reporting on rural issues.
“In a year that has seen a number of compelling news stories about the abuse of foreign workers, Ms Field was well ahead of the curve,” Mr Martinich said.
“It is not easy to uncover this kind of behavior in close-knit communities and industries, and it takes courage to publish the stories despite the knowledge
that you will not always be thanked for doing so.
“I hope that Ms Field’s Walkley Award serves as encouragement to all RPCV journalist members to continue bringing rural and regional issues to light,”
Mr Martinich concluded
The Rural Press Club of Victoria congratulates The Weekly Times journalist Emma Field for her Walkley Award for Excellence in Journalism.
Ms Field was previously awarded Journalist of the Year at the RPCV’s own Journalism and Photography Annual Awards in 2014 and received two commendations
this year.
