Walkley Awards revokes Spotlight nomination

The Walkley Awards has revoked a nomination for Seven’s Spotlight following revelations in the Federal Court this week.

“The Board of The Walkley Foundation has reviewed documents uploaded to the Federal Court this week which show an exclusivity agreement made between Seven and Bruce Lehrmann in April 2023 and a leasing arrangement which provided Mr Lehrmann with 12 months of accommodation from 13 April 2023 to 12 April 2024,” the Walkleys said in a statement.

“It is the responsibility of The Walkley Foundation management to determine the eligibility of entries for consideration by the judging panels in each round of judging for the Walkley Awards.

“Following a review of these documents, The Walkley Foundation Board has come to the unanimous conclusion that the Seven Spotlight story ‘Trial and Error’ was not eligible for consideration in the All Media Scoop of the Year category for the 2023 Walkley Awards as the entry did not accurately describe the extent of benefits provided to Mr Lehrmann in exchange for interviews, information and exclusive access.”

The Walkley Foundation has revoked the story’s finalist status in the 68th Walkley Awards.

Seven has been contacted for comment.