AJA – 100th year
Leak: the new four-letter word.
“Leak’’ is the new four-letter word, according to veteran political journalist, Laurie Oakes in accepting the highest accolade in journalism – the 2010 Gold Walkley Award – this week.
Oakes had pulled off the political news coup of the year, following two sensational leaks from within the Australian Labor Party camp which impacted negatively on Julia Gillard’s credibility in this year’s election.
He reported on Gillard’s role in the axing of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and – from Labor’s inner sanctum – he confronted her on her opposition to granting paid maternity leave.
Paid maternity leave has been the Holy Cow of women voters for decades and the skulduggery involving Rudd’s removal, an elected Prime Minister in his first term of office, was an emotive issue with voters.
The glittering Walkleys event televised this week celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Australian Journalists’ Association, the media union, now the Media, Arts and Entertainment Alliance.
Holding up his award, Oakes told the gathered media elite: “Thank you Julia’’.
He then slammed the Gillard Government over its handling of the arrest of Wikileaks founder, Australian Julian Assange.
““Leak is a four-letter word… To brand Wikileak as illegal with there is no instance of an breach of the law was demeaning of our government and as journalists we should make it clear that is our view,’’ he said.
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