Their Excellencies Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul with staff members of the National Post, a finalist for the 2003 Michener Award – photo taken following a ceremony at Rideau Hall, Thursday, April 15, 2004.
Seated left to right; Michael Higgins, news editor; Governor General Adrienne Clarkson; His Excellency John Ralston Saul; and editor John Racovali.
Standing left to right; Design editor, Laura Koot; Carol Higgins; and Robert Fife, Ottawa Bureau Chief.
The newspaper received a Citation of Merit for a campaign to support 23,000 war widows who were denied a widows’ benefit by government regulations. As a result the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs called unanimously for the benefit to be extended. Just before Remembrance Day 2003, the government reversed its position and extended the benefit to excluded widows.
The first Michener Award covered the calendar year 1970. Since then, a rich variety of news organizations have had their names inscribed on Michener trophies – print and broadcast, large and small, French and English, East and West. The Michener was also the first national journalism award open to both broadcast and print media. The award goes to the news organization itself, rather than the individual journalists involved in the story.