Walkley Foundation boss Jacqueline Park exits
The Walkley Foundation for Journalism’s CEO Jacqueline Park will be leaving the organisation after almost four years in the role, Mumbrella can reveal.
As well as being the CEO, Park was also the founding editor of the Walkley Magazine, which has run since 1996.
“Having built the Walkleys as the heart of excellence in Australian journalism and having overseen its incorporation as an independent and financially stable not-for-profit, now feels like the right time for me to pursue a new adventure,” Park said in the announcement.
Prior to joining the Walkley Foundation, Park was the Asia Pacific regional director for the International Federation of Journalists.
“Jacqui has made an outstanding contribution to Australian journalism, both through the evolution of the Walkley Awards for excellence and now through the work of the independent Walkley Foundation,” said Quentin Dempster, chair of the Walkley Foundation board of trustees.
“Through Jacqui’s work in innovation, communications and leadership the Walkley Foundation is strategically placed to engage all Australians in the crucial, valuable work of public interest journalism.”
This year The Walkley Foundation came under fire for changes its Walkley Awards For Excellence in Journalism categories, which saw international journalism, artwork and journalism to be by The Board.
But the foundation stood by its decision to abolish its international reporting award despite a resolution by the MEAA’s national media section committee calling on the board to reconsider.
Park’s departure comes ahead of the annual Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism, which will be held in Brisbane next Wednesday, and the organisation is expected to announce a new CEO before the end of the year.
“This is a time of unprecedented change in news and journalism,” Park concluded. “There are real challenges and, most importantly, there are great opportunities. I’m excited about a new role for me in those opportunities”.