At the time of the presentation, McAuliffe said that the attention to his file had been a special pleasure for his father, Gerry McAuliffe, who had won, for The Globe and Mail, its first Michener Award for Public Service.
Lorsqu'il a accepté ce prix, Michael McAuliffe a déclaré que l'attention accordée à ses reportages a grandement plu à son père, Gerry McAuliffe, qui a remporté le premier prix Michener pour services publics accordé à un journaliste du Globe and Mail.