The chair of the Walkley awards judging board, former ABC journalist Ben Butler, has resigned after it was alleged he said a colleague at the ABC should be “killed and buried in a shallow grave”.
“Ben Butler has resigned as the chair of the Walkley judging board,” the Walkleys said on Wednesday, but did not answer any further questions about the departure.
Butler resigned from the ABC earlier this year. The corporation had suspended him for allegedly making the comment while he was working in the ABC’s Melbourne newsroom. The incident went unreported at the time.
In April, the Walkley Foundation announced it had appointed Butler, a former reporter for Guardian Australia, as chair of the judging board that decides the annual prizes for excellence in journalism.
Earlier this month, the Australian newspaper reported claims that Butler had “engaged in a heated phone conversation with the colleague”.
Butler won two Walkley awards at last year’s 70th gala event as part of a team reporting on Australia’s childcare crisis.
The Walkley Foundation on Wednesday said Butler had resigned and had been replaced by the former Age editor Gay Alcorn.
Butler declined to comment on his resignation or on the allegation he made the comment about an ABC colleague.
He told the Australian earlier this week that its version was distorted and he “resigned from the ABC following a series of short-term contracts”.
Butler has worked at the Guardian, the Herald Sun, the Age and the Australian, specialising in the intersection of business and crime.
Alcorn, a former Guardian Australia Melbourne editor, is a three-time Walkley winner and a senior writer with Good Weekend magazine.
The Walkley Foundation’s chief executive, Shona Martyn, said Alcorn brought exceptional experience to the role.
“Gay is a thoughtful and perceptive judge who has long been a champion of public interest journalism and the highest editorial standards.”
Alcorn joined the board last year and previously served on the board between 2008 and 2011.
“The Walkleys are the premier journalism awards in Australia and it is an honour to play a role in recognising the outstanding journalism we produce every year,” Alcorn said.
The 71st Walkley awards open for entries on 1 July and will be presented on 19 November.
