From NDIS exposé to Giuffre report: WAtoday journalist scores double win at WA Media Awards

Nine’s Connor McGoverne and Owen Leonard claimed the Gilmour-Christian Prize for best sport report for their coverage of the state government’s failed push to host a landmark clash between Italian football giants AC Milan and Como in February at Optus Stadium.

The historic match-up was set to be the first European league match played for points on foreign soil, and was in October last year “reluctantly approved” by the continent’s governing body UEFA.

However, the planned fixture was eventually called off after the sport’s governing body FIFA declined to give the event the final seal of approval.

Jesinta Burton, Mark Wembridge and Mark Di Stefano from the Australian Financial Review, also owned by Nine, took out the award for best legal affairs coverage for their report detailing how a bitter office renovation dispute snowballed into the unravelling of billionaire mining boss Chris Ellison and his company, Mineral Resources.

In other major awards, the prized West Australian Journalist of the Year gong went to Roz Thomas from the Weekend Australian Magazine, while the Clarion Award for outstanding contribution to journalism went to John Flint from the West Australian.