BLOOMINGTON, Minnesota (July 27, 2019)—Australian journalist Melanie Groves of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation was recognized by the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) with the Star Prize for Digital Media, the organization’s honor for the best digital multimedia reporting package in its worldwide competition. The award was announced at IFAJ’s World Congress in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Groves’ online package, “Hoping for a Reality Check: Drought-Struck Farmers Cop Backlash Over Social Media Post,” was lauded by judges as “important,” “interesting” and “relevant.” One judge wrote, “The audio piece was great and work as a stand alone, same with the print and pictures.” Groves received a trophy and a €500 cash prize.
Peter Fuchs of Austria was also honored with a Highly Commended prize for digital reporting for his “188 Million Francs for Grazing Cows” article. Fuchs received a certificate and a €250 prize.
“Melanie Groves demonstrated not just the fundamentals of good reporting, but also the great skills needed to deliver stories to today’s audiences through a variety of media,” said Steve Werblow, secretary-general of IFAJ. “She and ABC are at the vanguard of perfecting new ways bringing stories to their audience and bringing the audience into the stories.”
The IFAJ Star Prize contest program is sponsored by John Deere and Rabobank. Judges of the digital and broadcast entries included Ian Petrie, retired broadcaster from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC); Ken Rundle, a former broadcaster for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC); and Neil Inall, formerly of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Leigh Radford of Australia’s Events on Air and former head of ABC Rural, coordinated the broadcast awards.
The winning packages by Groves and Fuchs will be posted at ifaj.org along with the winners of the other IFAJ Star Prizes for Print, Broadcast and Photography.
