WEEKEND Courier reporter Gabrielle Jeffery was celebrated at the WA Media Awards, the peak awards for WA journalism.
Jeffery won the Social Equity Report category for her outstanding series of articles ’Til death do us part.
Social equity involves the protection and proper treatment of the most vulnerable in our society.
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READ NOWThe judges said Jeffery’s story was about a woman who was so close to death that she was unconscious when a celebrant performed a marriage ceremony that outraged the woman’s family, turned them against the groom/fiance and ultimately saw the celebrant censured.
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“This story is remarkable in the way that it brings all perspectives into the story with great sensitivity,” the judges said.
“It goes to an issue of the exploitation and protection of the vulnerable.
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“This story came to Jeffery after a tip-off from a witness.
“ She used the court processes to dig out the transcript.
“There was research all the way through, getting to an understanding of the Marriage Act and following up on the status of the celebrant.”
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The judges said Jeffery covered almost every angle, giving all parties concerned the opportunity to tell their side.
“In addition, the story was picked up by other media nationally and internationally.”
Community News sub-editor Martin Turner also won his second consecutive award for headline writing.
The judges said Turner’s skill in conveying the core message of a story in so few words shone through in all his three entries.