Mridula Amin is a reporter and photojournalist with ABC News. She has also worked with The New York Times, National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, SBS and VICE. She graduated from Macquarie University in 2018 with a Bachelors of Media/Bachelors of Law and is an admitted lawyer of the Supreme Court.
ABC reporter and photojournalist Mridula Amin has been named Young Australian Journalist of the Year at the Walkleys Mid-Year Celebration of Journalism. The award recognises outstanding achievement by a reporter aged 28 and under.
Amin, who is part of the NSW State news team and based in the ABC's Western Sydney bureau, was awarded for her Background Briefing story "The hidden park of last resort", which told the story of a community fighting for their homes inside one of Sydney's last long-term caravan parks. The story also won the longform, feature or special category and Amin also won the category for visual storytelling.
The judges said: "This was an outstanding body of work. The substantial impact her work had on the communities of Western Sydney is a testament to Mridula's skills."
Amin's win came the same day ABC Managing Director David Anderson announced a proposal for the ABC to relocate around 300 employees from its Ultimo headquarters in Sydney to new facilities in Parramatta, including around 200 content makers. ABC Chair Ita Buttrose also discussed the project yesterday in a speech to Business Western Sydney: The ABC and Western Sydney: building our future | About the ABC.
ABC journalists also won the Media Diversity Australia Award, which went to Jason Om, Alex McDonald and Ake Prihantari for their 7.30 investigation "Price of Convenience" and "Hungry Panda food delivery company under fire from workers".
The ABC's Papua New Guinea Correspondent Natalie Whiting was awarded the Sean Dorney Grant for Pacific Journalism and the Young Indigenous Scholarship went to the ABC's Tahnee Jash.
Full list of ABC winners and finalists:
Young Australian Journalist of the Year Awards
Longform feature or special
WINNER: Mridula Amin, ABC News and Background Briefing, ABC Radio National, "The hidden park of last resort"
The judges said: "Through persistence and curiosity, Amin gained the trust of residents to share their human stories of hardship. Amin's investigation empowered them to fight for their homes inside one of Sydney's last long-term caravan parks. This story is a lesson in compassionate reporting, while also challenging the park's wealthy investor's financial history. A perfectly captured portrait of humanity."
FINALIST: Patrick Martin, 7pm News South Australia, ABC TV, "Expenses scandal: South Australian MP refuses to answer questions over travel expenses"
Visual storytelling
WINNER: Mridula Amin, ABC News and National Geographic, "The hidden park of last resort" "Resettled" and "Armin Wahidi"
The judges said: "This was an outstanding body of work. Mridula's photography was intimate and compassionate, a payoff for the time and determination she put into pursuing the stories. Her shots were technically impressive, making great use of light and composition. The substantial impact her work had on the communities of Western Sydney is a testament to Mridula's skills."
FINALIST: Tom Joyner, ABC 7.30, "Melbourne's Second Wave"
Our Watch Award
FINALIST: Avani Dias, Angela McCormack, Ali Russell and Laura McAuliffe, Four Corners, Triple J Hack and ABC Online, "Tinder: A Predators' Playground"
Humanitarian Storytelling Award
FINALIST: Tracey Shelton, Jarrod Fankhauser and Alan Weedon, ABC, "A decade lost"
Media Diversity Australia Award
FINALIST: Rebecca Armstrong, Angela Leonardi, Quentin McDermott and Helen Grasswill, Australian Story, ABC, "About a boy"
WINNER: Jason Om, Alex McDonald and Ake Prihantari, 7.30, ABC, "Price of Convenience" and "Hungry Panda food delivery company under fire from workers"
June Andrews Award for Arts Journalism
FINALIST Marc Fennell, Zoe Ferguson, Amruta Slee and Martin Peralta, ABC Radio, "Stuff the British Stole"
