Sebastian Calderon, Murray Pioneer

A Loxton-born news presenter has been awarded one of the most important journalism accolades in Australia, for his work on the true-crime podcast ‘Just Married: The Anthea Bradshaw Mystery’.

9News Adelaide’s Ben Avery has been named the Journalist of the Year at the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance 2025 South Australian Media Awards.

Recognising excellence, impact, journalistic research and his in-depth storytelling, Ben was also the winner of the Radio/Audio Journalism – Feature award.

In Just Married, Ben examines the 1994 murder of Anthea Bradshaw, an Adelaide woman who, after marrying her high school sweetheart, was found dead in a Brunei apartment just 96 days later.

Mr Avery reflected on his achievements and what made him create the podcast.

“I had been researching Anthea Bradshaw’s murder for more than 10 years and thought it was important to tell the story,” Mr Avery said.

“I worked closely with Anthea’s family, who have long campaigned for more to be done to investigate the case.

“I was very pleased to see Anthea’s story resonated with listeners all over the world and the podcast generated more than 1.3 million downloads.

“The podcast uncovered important new clues, but unfortunately Anthea’s murder remains unsolved.

“While it’s nice to win awards, the outcome I’d really like is for the killer to be brought to justice.

“I would encourage people to listen to the podcast and do everything they can to raise awareness about the case.”

Mr Avery grew up in the Riverland, and his regional background was one of many key elements to approach his passion for storytelling.

“I was fortunate to have some excellent teachers at Loxton High School who taught me the importance of respect and trust,” Mr Avery said.

“In journalism, these values are more important than ever.

“I was also lucky enough to start my career at WIN Television in the Riverland, and I’ll be forever grateful for what I learned during my time there.

“I still have a lot of friends and family in Loxton and return as often as I can.”

Mr Avery also reflected on the current media landscape and how new technologies have changed the way news is presented.

“Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen a lot of AI-generated news appearing online,” Mr Avery said.

“I think people have very quickly woken up to it, and as a result are very keen to find sources they can trust.

“It’s up to us as journalists to earn that trust and the best way to do that is to focus on balance, accuracy, ethics and integrity.

“Journalists also need to remain connected to their community and always remember what it is that people really care about.”

Mr Avery said he feels like ‘one lucky’ person after a successful career in journalism.

“When I graduated university, I was just happy to find a job, and to have won South Australian journalist of the year three times is a huge honour and certainly not something I would have ever expected,” Mr Avery said.

“I am lucky to have had a lot of guidance and support from family, friends and colleagues along the way.

This article appeared in Murray Pioneer, 23 July 2025.