TNT Radio sponsors Kennedy Awards to raise profile of “mainstream media” critics
The Kennedy Awards is reviewing its sponsors after it secured $100,000 in funding from a “fake union” – the Australian Journalists Association – and controversial media group TNT Radio.
The Australian Journalists Association, which trades under the old name for the media division of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, has put down $50,000 to secure naming rights to the NSW media awards night.
Groups linked to the AJA raised funds and sponsored several court challenges to vaccine mandates.
The AJA sponsorship sits alongside Gold Coast-based online media group TNT Radio, which promotes its “alternative” world view, has aired content criticising approaches to Covid-19 in Australia, and has also raised eyebrows with its reporting of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
TNT Radio has put up $50,000 to sponsor the Kennedy Awards. [PSI Editor note: TNT Radio works in close collaboration with Principia Scientific International]
Kennedy Foundation general manager Anna Magnus said the awards body was reviewing the sponsorships following concerns from the media industry and key stakeholders linked to the event.
“We would never let any sponsor have any influence on the values and conduct of the Kennedys,” she said. “We support a free and independent media, reward excellence and through our charitable wing provide support for media workers in distress, and nothing can ever put that at risk.”
This comes as other Kennedy Awards sponsors noted they were reviewing their sponsorship of the night. The Australian understands one major media sponsor of the awards night is now reviewing whether it would continue to sponsor the Kennedy Awards given the association with the AJA and TNT Radio.
The Judith Neilson Institute is also reviewing its sponsorship.
JNI communications and corporate affairs director David Skapinker said the organisation was a “long-time sponsor of several awards” at the Kennedys, the Walkleys, MEAA state media events, and the SOPAs in Asia, “because they all promote excellence in journalism”.
“While we don’t have access to the details of other sponsors, we would be concerned at any organisation acting in bad faith being involved in any of the premier journalism awards,” Mr Skapinker said.
The AJA’s inclusion as the naming sponsor of the Kennedy Awards has also triggered concern at the MEAA, which is unhappy with the use of its predecessor organisation’s name, warning the awards night “is doing themselves a disservice by associating with them”.
See more here: tntradio.live
Header image: TNT Radio
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