Fairfax Media's South-East Asia correspondent Lindsay Murdoch has been nominated for a prestigious award for his continued coverage of the baby Gammy story, which exposed the flaws of the international surrogacy trade.

Murdoch is a finalist in the Lowy Institute Media Awards, which recognise journalists who have deepened understanding of international policy issues in Australia.

The baby Gammy story, which revealed that an Australian couple left a baby boy with Down syndrome in Thailand and took his healthy twin sister home, sparked international debate about paid surrogacy.

Thai authorities clamped down on the surrogacy industry in response and Australian governments reviewed legislation in this country.

Murdoch won a Walkley Award for his coverage of the story last year. It was his third Walkley, the highest honour in Australian journalism.

The other Lowy finalists are ABC TV's Foreign Correspondent team, Paul Maley at The Australian, Peter Stefanovic, Nine News, and Rowan Callick, The Australian.

The winner will be announced on August 13.