7am honoured at Quill Awards for Excellence in Journalism

March 25, 2023

The Melbourne Press Club has announced 7am as the winner of the 2022 Quill for Reporting on Disability Issues. The win was for the episode “The Killing of Ann Marie Smith”.

In the episode, host and executive producer Ruby Jones interviews disability activist and contributor to The Saturday Paper Georgia Cranko about the death of Ann Marie Smith as a result of staggering neglect in her Adelaide home. Smith’s carer was sentenced for manslaughter, but many in the Disability community believe that the charge should have been murder. The Quill went to Ruby Jones, Georgia Cranko, Elle Marsh and Erik Jensen.

Schwartz Media’s editor-in-chief, Erik Jensen, said the episode tells an important story from a perspective that is not heard often enough. “This is a welcome recognition of the difference that can be made when centring the voices of disabled people. Georgia Cranko is an excellent writer and she told this story with anger and sensitivity and an urgent understanding of the need for change."

The Quill is a reminder of 7am’s daily commitment to forward-thinking, high-quality journalism, as the podcast continues to lead standards of Australian audio journalism.

Scott Mitchell, editor of 7am, said, “It's a huge accomplishment for podcasting as a source of news for us to be recognised by the Melbourne Press Club – it just shows that audiences can turn to podcasts to get the best news and storytelling in the country.”

The Quill Award winners were announced at the Crown Palladium on Friday, March 24, 2023.

7am is available on Apple, Spotify, LiSTNR and all other podcast apps.

Press contact:
Caraline Douglas, Head of Marketing & Partnerships
[email protected]

Download the Media Release