APPEA's JN Pierce Award for Media Excellence

The Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA) organises the JN Pierce Award for Media Excellence each year. (APPEA is the peak national body representing Australia's oil and gas exploration and production industry.) APPEA states on its website that "The J N Pierce award recognises excellence in journalism with respect to the upstream petroleum industry. It is open to all forms of media - print, television, radio and on-line. The selection criteria include excellence of writing style, accuracy of research, ethics, newsworthiness, flair and creativity, and public benefit."

2009 Award
In June 2009, APPEA announced that the editor of The Australian newspaper, Mr Chris Mitchell had won the award for "for coverage of climate change policy – an issue of great relevance to Australia’s oil and gas exploration and production industry."

Announcing the award, APPEA’s Chief Executive Belinda Robinson stated in a media release that "over the past twelve months The Australian's in-depth coverage of a range of public policy issues affecting Australia’s upstream oil and gas industry has been of a consistently high standard. The reporting has been thoughtful, balanced, analytical, well researched and a big effort was made to ensure that all facets of the issue were presented." It also stated that "several correspondents at The Australian including Michael Stutchbury, Lenore Taylor, Matt Chambers, Cath Hart and Matthew Warren, were judged to have significantly contributed to this very high standard of journalism."

External articles

 * Paddy Manning, "No neutrality: how the carbon lobby blackens media coverage", Sydney Morning Herald, June 6, 2009.