ABC Four Corners and Fairfax journalist Adele Ferguson win Gold Walkley for bank probe

Fairfax Media’s Adele Ferguson and the ABC’s Four Corners team have won Australian journalism’s top award, the Gold Walkley, for their investigation into unethical business practices at the Commonwealth Bank.

Ferguson spent two years uncovering poor advice given to consumers and, along with with Deb Masters and Mario Christodoulou from the ABC, coaxed victims to speak out on a Four Corners TV production, “Banking Bad”.

Banking Bad also won the award for best TV/AV Weekly Current Affairs program at last night’s Walkley Awards, held in Darling Harbour and attended by 800 figures from the media world.

Jailed Al Jazeera correspondent Peter Greste won the outstanding contribution to journalism award. To a standing ovation, his brother Andrew accepted the award, ending his speech by saying: “stay strong brother, let’s get you home for Christmas.”