Latest news with #PowderKeg
Scoop
19-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Brian Gaynor Initiative Key In Investigative Journalism Award Win
Press Release – Brian Gaynor Business Journalism Initiative The award, established to honour long-time broker, analyst and business columnist Brian Gaynor, provided financial help allowing Jonathan to research, write and produce his podcast series Powder Keg about New Zealander Chris Ashenden and his billion-dollar … The Brian Gaynor Business Journalism Initiative congratulates Jonathan Milne, managing editor of Newsroom Pro, for his success at the 2025 Voyager Media Awards. Last year, Jonathan was the inaugural recipient of funding for investigative business journalism from BGI. The award, established to honour long-time broker, analyst and business columnist Brian Gaynor, provided financial help allowing Jonathan to research, write and produce his podcast series Powder Keg – about New Zealander Chris Ashenden and his billion-dollar supplements company AG1. On Friday night, Jonathan Milne and Powder Keg won Business Journalist of the Year and Best Original Podcast or Series, as well as being a finalist in the Best Investigation category at the News Publishers' Association-run awards. 'I'd been wanting to tell the story of Chris Ashenden and AG1 for months, but high-quality audio-visual storytelling isn't cheap and resources are tight across the media,' Jonathan says. 'I'd all but given up, then the Brian Gaynor Initiative announced its business journalism funding. 'This was like no journalism grant I'd seen before. A high-trust model gave Newsroom the freedom and flexibility to go where the story led us. As our investigations revealed a far bigger story than we'd imagined, we realised that to track down Ashenden, we'd need to go to Colombia, and then Mexico. BGI trusted us, and backed us, and dug still deeper. 'The story simply wouldn't have happened without that support.' Anna Gibbons, Brian Gaynor's wife and BGI chair, says he would have been delighted an investigative piece that without funding would not have been possible, had won at the Voyagers. 'This is tangible evidence of the success of our goal – to support important business stories being told.' BGI recently changed its funding process for investigative projects so they can now be submitted throughout the year. 'We believe this is more in keeping with the nature of journalism as it's practised. We want journalists who come across a potentially substantial investigation to be able to apply when the opportunity arises,' Anna says.
![Brian Gaynor Business Journalism Initiative - Latest News [Page 1]](/_next/image?url=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.scoop.co.nz%2Fstories%2Fimages%2F1908%2Fscoop_image.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Scoop
19-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Brian Gaynor Business Journalism Initiative - Latest News [Page 1]
Brian Gaynor Initiative Key In Investigative Journalism Award Win The award, established to honour long-time broker, analyst and business columnist Brian Gaynor, provided financial help allowing Jonathan to research, write and produce his podcast series Powder Keg – about New Zealander Chris Ashenden and his billion-dollar ... More >> Brian Gaynor Initiative Business Journalism Funding Award Moves To Rolling Applications Monday, 12 May 2025, 8:24 pm | Brian Gaynor Business Journalism Initiative There will still be an annual request for proposals, but it will be focused on training and educational applications, which the Initiative also seeks to support to upskill journalists who are either already reporting business news or want to move into this ... More >> Past Brian Gaynor Business Journalism Initiative Award Recipient Jonothan Milne Announces 'Powder Keg' Podcast Thursday, 31 October 2024, 4:22 pm | Brian Gaynor Business Journalism Initiative Newsroom has today published the first instalment in both print and podcast formats of its 'Powder Keg' investigation into Chris Ashenden, the founder of health supplements business AG1. More >>
Scoop
18-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Brian Gaynor Initiative Key In Investigative Journalism Award Win
The Brian Gaynor Business Journalism Initiative congratulates Jonathan Milne, managing editor of Newsroom Pro, for his success at the 2025 Voyager Media Awards. Last year, Jonathan was the inaugural recipient of funding for investigative business journalism from BGI. The award, established to honour long-time broker, analyst and business columnist Brian Gaynor, provided financial help allowing Jonathan to research, write and produce his podcast series Powder Keg – about New Zealander Chris Ashenden and his billion-dollar supplements company AG1. On Friday night, Jonathan Milne and Powder Keg won Business Journalist of the Year and Best Original Podcast or Series, as well as being a finalist in the Best Investigation category at the News Publishers' Association-run awards. 'I'd been wanting to tell the story of Chris Ashenden and AG1 for months, but high-quality audio-visual storytelling isn't cheap and resources are tight across the media,' Jonathan says. 'I'd all but given up, then the Brian Gaynor Initiative announced its business journalism funding. 'This was like no journalism grant I'd seen before. A high-trust model gave Newsroom the freedom and flexibility to go where the story led us. As our investigations revealed a far bigger story than we'd imagined, we realised that to track down Ashenden, we'd need to go to Colombia, and then Mexico. BGI trusted us, and backed us, and dug still deeper. 'The story simply wouldn't have happened without that support.' Anna Gibbons, Brian Gaynor's wife and BGI chair, says he would have been delighted an investigative piece that without funding would not have been possible, had won at the Voyagers. 'This is tangible evidence of the success of our goal – to support important business stories being told.' BGI recently changed its funding process for investigative projects so they can now be submitted throughout the year. 'We believe this is more in keeping with the nature of journalism as it's practised. We want journalists who come across a potentially substantial investigation to be able to apply when the opportunity arises,' Anna says.
Newsroom
16-05-2025
- Business
- Newsroom
Newsroom's Jonathan Milne wins two national media awards
Senior Newsroom journalist Jonathan Milne has won two standout honours at the national Voyager Media Awards – declared business journalist of the Year and winner of best original podcast for his international investigation PowderKeg. Milne, who is managing editor of the Newsroom Pro subscriber newsletter and section, won praise from judges of both awards for his investigative and story-telling talents. Those judging best business journalist said: 'Jonathan's entry shows he can break big stories, develop and use a wide range of contacts, and write a great article. But we were particularly impressed by his podcast, Powder Keg, which saw him chasing a story – and a recalcitrant high-flying Kiwi CEO – from Invercargill to Colombia and finally a Mexican beach resort.'xxxxx Milne edits the daily Newsroom Pro newsletter 8 Things, an essential morning briefing on policy, the economy, business and politics. He has broken major stories on infrastructure, water, construction, local government, primary industries and resources. Milne accepting the award for business journalist of the year. Photo: Fox Meyer A separate panel of Voyager judges for best original podcast – one of the most significant awards in this era – said: 'Powder Keg starts with curiosity and ends with an investigation spanning continents and making global news. Jonathan Milne with Mike Wesley-Smith meticulously researched every angle of the compellingly told AG1 nutritional supplement story. His efforts uncovered local scams, led to the resignation of the CEO, revelations that it was not 'Made in NZ', and complaints to the US Food and Drug Administration. Indeed, Jonathan put his 'body on the line' by taking the product as part of the investigation. This podcast has international impact and exposes the supplement industry.' PowderKeg was co-reported/produced by Mike Wesley-Smith and edited by Dave Filoiali'i, and Megan Cumberpatch, the project overseen by Newsroom co-editor Mark Jennings. The podcast was made possible by a generous grant from the Brian Gaynor Foundation, supporting public interest business journalism. The 11-episode Powder Keg series, which launched on Newsroom's Delve podcast platform late in 2024 has had more than 410,000 downloads. You can listen to it, now open to all, here. It investigates the $1.2b supplement company AG1 and its elusive founder 'Chris the Kiwi' Ashenden, now resigned, his criminal past and business dealings. It also examines the company's use of social media influencers and the lack of scientific evidence behind the marketing of the nutritional supplement. Powder Keg was lauded by a Fortune magazine writer as 'brilliant' and 'meticulously reported'. Milne, a highly regarded former political editor and editor of the Sunday Star-Times and Cook Island News, regards the podcast as 'the best thing I've done in 28 years in journalism.' He says it's important those using the $100-a-month superstar-backed supplement are aware of its questionable science. Mike Wesley Smith and Jonathan Milne accepting the Best Original Podcast award from host Jeremy Corbett. Photo: Fox Meyer Powder Keg won from a field including finalists Juggernaut by Toby Manhire of The Spinoff and Uncut Diamond Daniella by Daniella Smith and Dane Giraud, for RNZ. The two other finalists for best business journalist were Nicholas Jones, now of Stuff, and Nikki Macdonald of Stuff. Newsroom political reporter Fox Meyer was a finalist for the up and coming journalist award, won by Bonnie Jansen of the NZ Herald. Industry awards included: Best digital platform – Newspaper of the Year – Herald on Sunday Best investigation – Darleen Tana saga, Stuff Scoop of the Year* – Darleen Tana saga, Stuff Best current affairs video (short-form) – Children of Prisoners, TVNZ, Indira Stewart The main individual awards: Reporter of the year – Anusha Bradley, RNZ News journalist – Michael Morrah, NZME Sports journalist – Dana Johannsen, RNZ Political journalist – Andrea Vance, Stuff Photographer – Iain McGregor, Stuff Feature writer – Charlie Mitchell, Stuff Columnist – Joel McManus, Spinoff Video journalist – Zoe Madden-Smith, Re-news/TVNZ One finalist for the Scoop of the Year award was withdrawn, late, by media firm NZME after legal issues with NZ Herald stories submitted about a Tipene Funerals employee convicted of interfering with human remains and obtaining by deception.
