December 2010 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the first proper trade union for journalists, the Australian Journalists' Association.
It was the moment at which what was merely an occupation (and not a terribly well-rewarded one) became a profession – and we look back at the achievements of journalists since then with a great deal of pride.
At the heart of that pride is the Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism. Founded in 1953 by the chief executive of Ampol, Sir William Gaston Walkley, they were bequeathed to the Media Alliance, Australia's trade union for journalists, who have been the proud trustees of the Awards ever since.
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Over nearly six decades, the awards have grown from a modest affair, with just five categories, to become an industry institution, recognising great work in 34 categories across all media platforms.
At the first Walkleys the prize money on offer would have been enough to buy the winner a small house in Sydney.
Picking a winner
Given today's property values this is not an option, of course, but in any case people enter for the pride of their being recognised as excellent by their peers.
Entries are initially judged by a panel of senior working journalists which nominates the top three entries in each catalogue.
This goes forward to the Walkley Advisory Board, chaired by the host of ABC's NSW Stateline, Quentin Dempster.
The Board chooses a winner in each of the categories and nominates a Gold Walkley winner.
The Walkley Advisory Board and the Walkley Board of Trustees choose recipients of two special awards: Journalistic Leadership and the Most Outstanding Contribution to Journalism. Winners have included some of the towering figures in Australian journalism.
The ultimate accolade
To win a Walkley is the ultimate accolade for an Australian journalist. There are various state- or industry-based awards, but when you have won a Walkley you have been judged by your peers against the work of the whole of the rest of the industry.
You only have to feel the buzz in the room at the Walkley Awards presentation to realise how passionately people feel about winning one of the prized statuettes.
It's not just about ego – these are stories that have affected people's lives or forced governments to change the law.
The best journalism is about making a difference, and the Awards showcase some of these issues to a national audience.
The new frontier
The most recent categories were added last year to reflect the growing importance of online journalism to our industry.
The “Best Online” category is designed to tease out the very best in digital journalism, while Outstanding Continuous Coverage of an Issue or Event and Best Broadcast or Online Interview are also showcases for the very best work on websites.
But take a look at the work that has made it through to the finals and you'll see that a significant number of stories were crafted specifically for online, which suggests that Australian journalism is flourishing in cyberspace.
As our craft adapts to take advantage of the new tools of digital journalism, I expect we'll find ever exciting and informative ways to tell stories online – and these, of course, will be rewarded come Walkley Awards night.
Top class journalism
We read so much about the pressures that quality journalism faces in the digital age that sometimes we lose sight of the really top-class journalism being done in Australia that fulfils all the criteria: speaking truth to power, holding our elected representatives and our business leaders to account and providing a voice to the powerless.
Great journalism informs, educates and entertains – and you have only got to look the list of finalists to see that, once again, our journalists have done us proud.
