Christiane Barro wins Walkley for Student of the Year
Monash University journalism student Christiane Barro won the Walkley Award for student journalist of the year in Sydney last night.
Her stories - on drug addiction, unemployment and medical cannabis - were published in Mojo News, Monash Journalism's online magazine.
"I'm really grateful to have received this award, it's such an honour," Christiane said.
"The most important thing is to give a voice to people who are so often ignored."
Acting Head of Journalism Associate Professor Fay Anderson said: "On behalf of the school, I would like to express our delight and pride in Christiane's success.”
Mojo staff editor and Monash journalism lecturer Corinna Hente said Christiane thoroughly deserved the award.
"Christiane is an exceptional student, and she has the talent, the passion and the work ethic to make a great career in journalism," she said.
"Her stories reflect her interest in the big social issues, and she's fearless in pursuing them."
Christiane, who aspires to be an investigative journalist, was awarded for the following Mojo stories:
‘I would have sat every day of those 20 years in jail’
‘It’s not our fault’: Dole recipients say they’re not bludging the system
‘It’s safer for everyone’: heroin addicts plead for a safe injecting room
Christiane won the award from a strong field, including finalists Aparna Balakumar (The University of Sydney) and Emily Smith (University of Technology Sydney).
Mojo's deputy editor, Elliana Saltalamacchia, was a finalist for the 2017 Jacoby-Walkley Scholarship. She was the only Victorian on the shortlist of 10 from universities across Australia.
In the Young Walkley's Community/Regional Journalism category, Monash alumnus and ABC journalist Danny Tran was finalist, alongside his ABC colleague Bridget Judd.
The Newcastle Herald's Michael McGowan and Carrie Fellner won the regional category for their special investigation, The foam and the fury.
Danny's work on the Catholic child abuse scandals has attracted national attention.
Danny, who is working on AM and ABC Radio News, was also a finalist in the Quills this year.