Bond University academic Caroline Graham is a finalist in the 2018 Walkley Awards which recognise Australia’s best journalism.
Graham, a senior teaching fellow in Strategic and Cultural Communication in the Faculty of Society and Design, was recognised for her Lost in Larrimah podcast series produced for The Australian earlier this year.
She and fellow journalist Kylie Stevenson travelled to Larrimah in the Northern Territory to explore the disappearance of Paddy Moriarty, one of 12 residents of the tiny outback town.
“Since I first heard about Paddy’s disappearance I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it - it’s so mysterious and so heartbreaking for the other residents,” Graham said.
“The investigation into his suspicious disappearance is very much still active and we hope that the strong public interest in the story might also generate some new leads for police.
“At the same time, the town has such an important history and its residents are such extraordinary people, so we wanted to pay tribute to one part of the Aussie way of life, which is in danger of disappearing too.”
Ms Graham invited her investigative journalism students to help produce Lost in Larrimah.
“The students who put up their hand to be involved were brilliant,” she said.
“They’ve primarily worked as researchers, helping track down audio grabs, fact-checking and acting as early testers on the episodes themselves.
“Their drive, enthusiasm and insight make me feel so confident about the future of journalism.”
Lost in Larrimah became the No.1 Australian podcast on iTunes and reached No.12 on the international charts.
Winners of the Walkley Awards will be announced in Brisbane on November 22.
Graham is also a finalist in two categories of the 2018 Northern Territory Media Awards.