Kennedy Awards: Several Seven West Media editors and reporters in running for prestigious award

Seven West Media has been recognised for its excellence in journalism, with several of its editors and reporters being named finalists in the prestigious Kennedy Awards. The finalists for the awards — featuring 37 categories — were announced on Monday after 96 judges ploughed through more than 1000 entries from across the nation. West Australian Newspapers editor Christopher Dore is in the running to take out the outstanding columnist category for his column The Front Dore, which is published in Seven West Media’s digital newspaper The Nightly and on The West. Meanwhile, The West Australian’s sports editor Jakeb Waddell has been shortlisted for his headlines “AH, KANE HAS DONE IT AGAIN, NO CHANCE IN VFL, TAKES ONE TO NO.1”. The headline, AH, KANE HAS DONE IT AGAIN, was published on The West’s back page on January 9 when Port Adelaide premiership player Kane Cornes again lashed the West Coast Eagles, questioning the struggling AFL club’s training methods amid a supposed new approach to pre-season training. NO CHANCE IN VFL was the headline published on February 14 for an exclusive interview with West Australian Football Commission chairman Wayne Martin saying West Coast would not leave the WAFL to join the VFL any time soon. Waddell’s third headline entry, TAKES ONE TO NO.1, was for another exclusive on Hawthorn great and former No.1 draftee Luke Hodge opening up on life as a No.1 pick as the most highly-touted prospect in draft history — Harley Reid — settled in at West Coast. 7NEWS reporting team Phil Goyen, Sarah Greenhalgh and Ben Fogarty have been named as finalists for outstanding crime reporting with their story Sextortion: Teens, Tech and Tragedy. Chief 7NEWS reporter Chris Reason has been named a finalist in the outstanding investigative reporting and TV news reporting categories for his stories The Bishop of Broome and Israel-Hamas War respectively. The 7News digital team are vying to win the outstanding documentary category for The Devil’s Outback Playground. Available to stream on 7Plus and YouTube, the documentary sees Reason reflect on his report on the former Bishop of Broome Christopher Saunders, uncovering the alleged crimes committed by the Saunders that led to an official papal investigation, the first of its kind in Australia. The winners will be announced in Sydney on August 16.