Daily Mail Australia recognised for breaking news on Shane Warne’s tragic death and coverage of Cleo Smith – and nominated for ‘Young Journalist of the Year’
- Daily Mail Australia has five journalists nominated for prestigious awards
- Awards are a recognition of journalism excellence in Australia
- Named in honour of late reporter, Les Kennedy, who died prematurely at 53
- There are 34 categories in 2022’s Kennedy Foundation awards
Daily Mail Australia’s extensive coverage of Shane Warne’s death and the developments around the kidnapping of Cleo Smith have been recognised with nominations in the Kennedy Awards for excellence in journalism.
Deputy editor Felicity Hetherington, senior reporter Kevin Airs, columnist Mike Colman and assistant picture editor Will Mottram are nominated for Daily Mail Australia’s breaking news coverage of the death of Shane Warne.
The legendary cricketer’s death in Thailand is also part of the oeuvre of journalist Brittany Chain’s entry for Young Journalist of the Year.
Cleo Smith recovering in a hospital in Perth after her abduction ordeal (above)
Chain, who has been working for three years with Daily Mail Australia, broke a series of stories on Warne’s final days in Thailand, as well as an exclusive on NRL player Apisai Koroisau breaching Covid protocols by smuggling a woman into State of Origin camp on the eve of the game.
Another of Chain’s exclusives also saw her nominated for Scoop of the Year with her report on the background of Western Australian girl Cleo Smith’s kidnapping in remote Western Australia, which was the biggest global crime story to emerge from Australia in 2021.
Kennedy Foundation praised the ‘incredibly high standard’ of entries across 34 categories .
The winners will be announced at the foundation’s gala night at Sydney’s Royal Randwick on August 12.
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Brittany Chain (left) is a finalist for two categories, Young Journalist of the Year, and Scoop of the Year, while senior reporter Kevin Airs is nominated for his coverage Shane Warne’s death
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