Thalidomide victim Johanne Hebert at her home in Montreal, Quebec on November 14, 2014.Michelle Siu/The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is one of six finalists for the 2014 Michener Award for meritorious public service journalism.
Judges of the prestigious award short-listed The Globe for its series of articles about the lasting impact of the drug thalidomide, detailing how aging victims still suffered half a century later from the legacy of a long-forgotten public-health failure.
The articles prompted the federal government to offer a financial-support package.
"With great sensitivity, the Globe and Mail gave survivors and their families a national voice as they spoke of the growing physical, mental and financial toll," the Michener Awards Foundation said in announcing the 2014 nominations Wednesday.
The Globe's thalidomide coverage has also been nominated for a 2014 National Newspaper Award.
Other Michener finalists announced Wednesday are:
The Quebec magazine L'actualité, for an eight-month investigation into the Canadian military failure to handle complaints of sexual assault and harassment within its ranks.
The Canadian Press news agency, for highlighting the problems with the electoral reform bill, Bill C-23, which the Conservative government had dubbed the Fair Elections Act.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, for its reporting on the abuses and problems related to the federal temporary foreign workers program.
CBC North, for its examination of the death of a three-month-old Inuit boy in Cape Dorset, which underscored the health-care problems in Nunavut.
The Vancouver Sun, for its investigation into the struggles of foster children after they turn 19 and are no longer wards of the province.
Governor-General David Johnston will announce the winner at a ceremony at Rideau Hall on June 18.