The Walkley Awards have made a decisive move by withdrawing the nomination of 7NEWS SPOTLIGHT.
This action follows the disclosure of documents in the Federal Court this week revealing the network had spent over $100,000 in accommodation costs to secure the controversial interview with Bruce Lehrmann.
The Walkley Foundation stated,
“The Board of The Walkley Foundation has reviewed documents uploaded to the Federal Court this week which show an exclusivity agreement made between Seven and Bruce Lehrmann in April 2023 and a leasing arrangement which provided Mr Lehrmann with 12 months of accommodation from 13 April 2023 to 12 April 2024.”
The integrity of the awards is paramount.
“It is the responsibility of The Walkley Foundation management to determine the eligibility of entries for consideration by the judging panels in each round of judging for the Walkley Awards,”
the Foundation emphasized.
Further analysis led to a significant conclusion.
“Following a review of these documents, The Walkley Foundation Board has come to the unanimous conclusion that the Seven SPOTLIGHT story ‘Trial and Error’ was not eligible for consideration in the All Media Scoop of the Year category for the 2023 Walkley Awards as the entry did not accurately describe the extent of benefits provided to Mr Lehrmann in exchange for interviews, information and exclusive access.”
As a result, the story’s finalist status in the 68th Walkley Awards has been revoked, marking a significant moment in the awards’ history.
Hahahahahahahahaha
It’s not right for a story like this to be withdrawn from the Walkleys