Two Herald investigations won Walkley Awards in different categories, underscoring the impact of investigative journalism in exposing abuse and driving reform.

The investigative team comprised health editor Kate Aubusson, reporter Emily Kaine, and Age investigative reporter Aisha Dow, with contributions from Carrie Fellner, Charlotte Grieve, and Wendy Tuohy, among others.

The Age won Best Coverage of a Major News Event or Issue for its reporting on the mushroom murders orchestrated by Erin Patterson.

The Age and Herald together were nominated 15 times across 12 of 30 categories, spanning news, photography, feature writing, and long-form TV journalism.

The Medical Misogyny series documented hundreds of cases of disbelief or misdiagnosis of women, prompting regulatory reviews across Australia and highlighting collaboration between The Herald and The Age.

Over 1,000 entries were received for the 70th Walkley Awards, with a Sydney ceremony where judging chair Sally Neighbour praised the calibre of entries and Australian journalism’s global standing.

Melissa Fyfe won the Feature Writing Short category for a Good Weekend piece on forced marriage in Australia, while The Age earned recognition for Erin Patterson trial coverage.

Luke McIlveen, Nine’s executive editor for metro mastheads, credited The Herald and The Age for independence, excellence, and integrity, celebrating the winning teams for their impact.

The Herald and The Age dominated the 70th Walkley Awards, securing more honours than any other publisher.

Jordan Baker was announced as the Herald’s new editor, succeeding Bevan Shields, who led the paper for four years and focused on investigative expansion and Pokies reform advocacy.

ABC’s Adele Ferguson and Chris Gillett earned the Gold Walkley for a multi-month investigation into systemic failures in the Australian childcare system, marking it as the year’s Investigation of the Year.

Herald reporters Eryk Bagshaw, Clare Sibthorpe, and Bianca Hrovat highlighted misconduct in Sydney’s hospitality industry, catalyzing resignations and regulatory reforms.

The Herald health desk—Kate Aubusson, Emily Kaine, and Aisha Dow—won Specialist Beat Reporting for exposing misdiagnosis and disbelief faced by women in hospital settings.