Jenny Woodward honoured at Queensland journalism awards after 40 years presenting

Jenny Woodward honoured at Queensland journalism awards after 40 years presenting ABC weather After 40 years talking Queenslanders through rain, wind and shine, ABC News Queensland weather presenter Jenny Woodward has been given the state's Most Outstanding Contribution to Journalism award. The prize honours what has been a remarkable career in broadcast journalism, which has built Woodward into one of the country's most trusted and respected voices. Woodward was presented with the award at the Queensland Clarion Awards in Brisbane last night. A Brisbane native, Woodward's career in journalism began at commercial TV station Channel 10/4/5a in Toowoomba in the 1970s, where she worked on kids' and special event television. Presenting came early, with news and weather reading part of her responsibilities at the regional station. "As humans we all love stories and I am taking scientific data, lots of specific weather terms which can be a little dry," Woodward said. "So I want the audience to understand what's happening, but not overwhelm them with the detail." After a brief stint at Channel 7 in Brisbane, Woodward brought her burgeoning ability to the national broadcaster in 1986. By 1987, she was presenting the ABC News weather alongside news presenter Rod Young and sports presenter David Mackay. In those days, the job would require a dash into the city to pick up charts from the Bureau of Meteorology and a chat with a forecaster, before racing back to the studio to go to air. "There were three camera operators in the studio and a floor manager to give us our cues," Woodward said. The fax machine soon made things easier, and the technological advancements did not stop there. "Now the cameras are robotic, and we take our cues through an earpiece," she said. "But what hasn't changed … I still talk to someone at the bureau every day and I still head into the studio and report the day's weather as best I can." Along the way, it has become standard to send weather presenters to all sorts of locations — a development that has seen Woodward become the queen of the Ekka. "It's chaotic, unpredictable, very noisy and fun. I know the audience is just waiting to see if the animal is going to bite me or pee on me," she said. "Often they do both." Nowadays, Woodward stands by a graphical map developed by a company and projected with a green screen, walking audiences through forecasts that have widened in scope and tightened in accuracy. Her curation of audience-submitted photographs of stunning weather formations and beautiful Queensland landscapes has become a staple of her presentation. "I look at every photo that comes in and I love seeing what takes people's interest," she said. "Often they send me a little story about it, and that makes me feel like I am part of their day." It's storytelling, as Woodward says, not statistics — and "weather is a constantly changing, evolving story". "I really believe that as a reporter, if you are not engaged with your material then you can't expect the audience to be either. Although in this story, we all have a personal interest," she said. "And it's always about the audience. We are nothing without them." Woodward is no stranger to awards, having been handed a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2024 for her service to broadcast media. ABC winners Meanwhile, the ABC's Scott Kyle received The John Bean Memorial Award for Television Camerawork. Antonia O'Flaherty was recognised for her radio reporting on the Caboolture Hospital medical scan bungle. Angelica Silva took the gong in multicultural reporting for I Feel Scared Like Never Before: Inside the Moments That Reshaped Fear Among Indian Australians, and Grace Tobin and Kirsten Robb were recognised for their reporting on the IVF mix-up. Grace Nakamura from the ABC's Toowoomba bureau was recognised for her regional and community coverage. Owen Jaques from the Sunshine Coast bureau took out the gong in sports journalism. Dark Reality of Australia’s AI Dream Factory, by Josh Robertson, Justine Landis-Hanley and the Background Briefing team came out top in the business and podcast categories. Josh Robertson, Maddison Connaughton and the Background Briefing team were also recognised for The Road to Bondi. The ABC's Story Lab team won the award for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Issues Reporting for Deep Time: Tell Me a Story and a second for Innovation for Deep Time: Time, Place and Topic Views.