2014 Atlantic Journalism Awards Finalists
Attachments
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| Date Aired or Published | March 31, 2014 |
| Media outlet where first aired or published: | The Chronicle Herald |
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Short explanation of the story and how it developed: They survived bombs and bullets and the psychological aftermath of war. Many are now sick and old and vulnerable. So when the federal department of Veterans Affairs cut what these men see as their lifeline__ the small, personalized offices where they knew workers by name and received the kind of key services they needed__ the story stayed in the national news for months. I decided to go in-depth into what these men had once done for their country, to put faces and personal stories to the political coverage which had dominated the news. It took weeks to track down the elderly veterans, who I then visited in their homes, where I conducted extensive interviews about their service and the conditions they face today. I also profiled, as a sidebar to the main feature, the man who had become the face and voice of their struggle__ the feisty, outspoken veteran, Ron Clarke, who had grabbed the national spotlight when he had a public confrontation with Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino. His own struggles and vulnerabilities had not previously been reported in such a detailed way. |
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Resources of the newsroom (money and time) available to complete the story: |
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