Seven West Media has reaffirmed its position as Western Australia's leading news organisation after delivering an outstanding performance at the WA Media Awards 2025, held on Saturday, November 8. The media giant dominated the winners' list with an impressive 13 awards across multiple categories, showcasing the depth of talent within its newsrooms.
Prestigious Awards and Investigative Triumphs
The West Australian's state political editor, Jessica Page, secured The Beck Prize for her comprehensive reporting on challenges to Libby Mettam's liberal leadership. In the medical reporting category, John Flint from The West Australian received top honours for his Sunday Times series that exposed malpractice in the dental industry, prompting action from the Australian Taxation Office and health regulators.
The multimedia news category saw Natalie Bonjolo and Ben Harvey recognised for their true crime investigative podcast series examining the 1999 disappearance of Kalgoorlie woman Lisa Govan, whose body has never been found.
Photography Excellence and Regional Recognition
For the third consecutive year, The West Australian claimed the Best News Photograph award, with Ross Swanborough winning for his poignant images of mourners at the site of a fatal car accident in Murdoch. The regional photography category was taken out by Stuart Quinn from the Geraldton Guardian.
Seven West Media journalists demonstrated their versatility by sweeping three of the four text format categories. Chief sub-editor Paul Barry won Best Headline with his creative "Cocaine, Knobs, and a Kick Up the Rs", while political reporter Caitlyn Rintoul secured Best News Report for her investigation into WA's failing violence support systems. PerthNow news editor Justin Bianchini claimed the suburban category with his powerful feature series on domestic crisis in Carn West.
Lifetime Achievement and Broadcast Excellence
The prestigious Clarion Award for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism was presented to The West Australian's former legal affairs editor, Tim Clarke, recognising his significant impact on the industry.
In broadcast categories, 7News Perth political editor Geof Parry won Best News Reporting for his coverage of the NicheLiving saga, with cameraman Christian Rudd receiving recognition for his standout vision on the same story. The Best Video Feature award went to 7News reporters Nick Overall and Simon Hydzik for their investigation that exposed the secrets of Perth's alleged Shincheonji cult.
Parry was also named co-winner of the West Australian Journalist of the Year award, sharing the honour with the ABC's Alicia Hanson and Nadia Mitsopoulos for their collective reporting on the NicheLiving scandal.
