Leigh Sales wins Walkley for best interview

Updated December 01, 2012 01:02:50

The ABC’s Leigh Sales has won a Walkley Award for best interviews for her work on 7.30 quizzing Tony Abbott, Scott Morrison and Christine Milne.

The prestigious awards held at Parliament House in Canberra on Friday evening recognise excellence in Australian journalism.

Former ABC foreign affairs editor Peter Cave, who retired earlier this year, was also awarded the Walkley Award for outstanding contribution to journalism.

Described as “the ABC’s pre-eminent foreign correspondent” Cave reported from more than 65 countries and covered some of the most significant stories of the last few decades.

Sales’ 7.30 interview with the Opposition Leader in August pressed him on his attack on the Government over the mining tax and carbon tax.

The fiery exchanges saw Mr Abbott eventually admit he had not read a statement from miner BHP which was central to the attack.

The ABC picked up several other gongs at the awards night, with ABC radio journalist Nance Haxton winning the Walkley for best radio news and current affairs reporting.

Four Corners journalists Matthew Carney and Thom Cookes took out the Walkley for best international journalism for their report In Their Sights.

Mary Ann Jolley, Geoff Thompson and Mary Fallon won best television current affairs feature for their Four Corners report Unholy Silence.

Meanwhile, this year’s Gold Walkley went to Steve Pennells from The West Australian. Pennells also won the Walkley Award for best scoop of the year and the award for social equity journalism.

Topics: information-and-communication, awards-and-prizes, australia

First posted December 01, 2012 00:29:01

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