Paul Maley wins 2015 Lowy Institute Media Award

The Lowy Institute is pleased to announce that the winner of the 2015 Lowy Institute Media Award is Paul Maley for his reporting of Australian foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria for The Australian.

Maley, who is National Security Editor at The Australian, was awarded a $20,000 cash prize as well as a Lowy Institute Media Award trophy, created by Dinosaur Designs.

‘Paul Maley’s diligent and industrious reporting helped to shape the domestic debate on foreign fighters,’ said Lowy Institute Executive Director Michael Fullilove, who is a member of the Media Award judging panel.  
 
‘He provided an Australian lens on a global story and helped us to understand the motivations of foreign fighters.’ he said.

Other finalists for the 2015 Media Award were Rowan Callick (The Australian) for his analysis of Australia’s economic and trade relationships with Asia, Lindsay Murdoch (Fairfax Media) for his coverage of the baby Gammy controversy, Peter Stefanovic (Nine News) for his coverage of conflicts in the Middle East, and Foreign Correspondent (ABC) for its report on the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone (‘Into the Hot Zone’, Foreign Correspondent).

The judging panel for the 2015 Award consisted of former ABC political journalist Lyndal Curtis, former Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Michael L’Estrange AO, Foreign Editor at The Australian Greg Sheridan, Lowy Institute Board Director Mark Ryan, and Lowy Institute Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove.

'I'm tremendously honoured and privileged to have won this award. In its relatively short life the Lowy Institute has been the preeminent voice in the foreign policy conversation and to win is to be honoured by extension,' said Pauly Maley.

'I'm particularly grateful to The Australian, its editors - Chris Mitchell and Clive Mathieson - for allowing me the time and the resources to cover what is one of the great stories of our age, and to the national security reporting team - Cameron Stewart, Mark Schliebs and Greg Bearup.'

The Lowy Institute Media Award, now in its third year, was established to acknowledge Australian journalists (in print, broadcast, online) who have deepened the knowledge or shaped discussion of international policy issues in Australia. Finalists are selected on the basis of the topicality of their reporting, its originality and influence on the public debate, and the quality of the written work or broadcast.

Insurance Australia Group (IAG) Managing Director and CEO, Mike Wilkins said IAG was proud to support the 2015 Lowy Media Awards.
 
‘As a leading Australian and New Zealand business with an expanding Asian presence, we believe timely, accurate and insightful reporting and commentary provides valuable context that helps us deepen our understanding of other countries’ cultures and the issues important to them.
 
‘The finalists of the 2015 Lowy Institute Media Awards are an excellent example of this in action and a celebration of the high standards of excellence that exist in our media today.’

For more information visit: www.lowyinstitute.org/media-award