It hardly seems like it’s been three years since the staff of this blog issued the first-ever “Shot In The Dark Academy Of Blogging Art, Science and Engineering Awards For MetaJournalistic AntiExcellence” – known and loved as the “Shooties”. During those three years, the online metajournalistic world has expanded – and, like a Peter-Principled fog, opportunities for really bad metajournalism have expanded anon.<\/p>\n
And so, last night at a gala at Northrop Auditorium, the staff of Shot In The Dark and an assembled audience of 3,000 of the creme de la creme <\/em>of the elite of the elite gathered to bestow these awards, and to look ahead to next year. It was a dazzling display of fashion and blogging star power (marred only slightly by JB Doubtless’ tipsy recitation of his favorite slam poetry of 2006) highlighted by appearances by Marisa Tomei, Metallica and beer expert Michael Jackson.<\/p>\n (Technical awards were given the previous week at the Minneapolis Grayhound station, and were all won by Joe Bodell).<\/p>\n And so without further ado – a tradition unlike many others: The Shootie Awards for 2008!<\/p>\n The Andy Dick Whiny B**ch Award For B***hy Whinyness: <\/strong>Need I say more<\/a>?<\/p>\n The Daniel Pearl Profiles in Journalistic Courage Award<\/strong>: This one goes to Molly “Is It White In Here<\/a>” Priesmeyer of the Minnesoros “Independent”<\/em>. Last March, she wrote<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u2026it\u2019s at least refreshing to see McCain\u2019s teeth get a razzing (though, unfortunately, not a cleaning). It gets a little tiring listening to the same sexist cries that Hillary Clinton is just too ugly to be president. Hatin\u2019 on the looks of all the candidates? Now that\u2019s equality!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The next day, she noted to MDE<\/a> that, schwoops, she wasn’t <\/em>aware that McCain’s teeth had been beaten out of his face while a POW in Vietnam:<\/p>\n I was not aware of the fact. I simply was linking to a post that revealed \u201chis teeth\u201d had become a topic of discussion on the blogosphere. Buzzfeed.com is an aggregator site that collects trends of the day.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The “Mindy<\/em>” – all the news that’s fit for rich liberals to pay you to link to!<\/p>\n The Leona Helmsley “Accountability For Ye, but Not For We” Award: <\/strong>Last March, the Minnesoros Monitor “Independent”<\/em>‘s Andy Birkey chided <\/a>Rep. Michele Bachmann for eschewing appearances on the local tanning-bed media, preferring to stick to conservative and Christian news outlets (an approach that was pretty roundly vindicated closer to election time). I asked<\/a> Senator Amy Klobuchar, Senate Candiate Al Franken, Representatives Keith Eillson and Betty McCollum, and mayors R.T Rybak and Chris Coleman for interviews on the NARN or, if their schedules didn’t permit, on my blog.<\/p>\n Mayor Rybak earned my respect by accepting the invitation.<\/p>\n None of the others responded to repeated inquiries.<\/em><\/p>\n The Cliff Clavin Award For Unintentional Comedic Self-Glamorization: <\/strong>Grace Kelly at DFL volunteers.<\/p>\n The Mao Zhedong “We Are Identically Diverse” Award: <\/span>Lori Sturdevant has given so much to this award ceremony every year; she’s a serious contender for a lifetime achievement award. This years’ paeon to “feminist unity”<\/a> (behind left-leaning women only, naturally) was just one of dozens of potential choices from her oeuvre <\/span>this past year.<\/p>\n The Baghdad Bob “We’re Not Laughing With You, We’re Laughing At You” Award: <\/strong>Mere weeks after the Minnesoros “Independent” laid off much of its staff at the behest of the “Center for “Independent” Media” (causing editor Steve Perry to realize that he’d been running a bald-faced propaganda rag roughly two years after every other person in the Twin Cities had twigged to the fact), Chris Steller complained unironically<\/a> that the Coleman campaign was tossing the utterly dependent Steller from press conferences. (The NARN is still waiting on press credentials from Keith Ellison).<\/p>\n Post Title Of The Year<\/strong>: While there were the usual avalanche of contenders, I found nothing better than Mr. Dilettante’s “Jesus Christ Oberstar<\/a>“.<\/p>\n The Martin Luther King\/Sermon On The Mount Award For Political Civility: <\/strong>Aaron Landry – MNPublius’ designated wind-up Frankenblogger – brought political discourse to a higher level<\/a>.<\/p>\n The “Dewey Wins” Award For Gate-Keeping and Fact-Checking – <\/strong>This years’ award goes to the Minnsoros “Independent” (nee Monitor), for Dan Haugen’s “It Could Be Worse<\/a>“. Background: during the spring legislative session, Rep. Tony Cornish (R – Good Thunder) sponsored a bill that would have clarified Minnesota’s rules for armed self-defense. While the rest of the Minnesota Sorosphere turned to actively lying <\/a>about Cornish’s bill (see “Government Figure As Mushroom Farmer”, below), Haugen tried to wax humorous, snickering that at least Minnesotans weren’t proposing allowing guns in bars, like a bill in Tennessee proposed.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, being a highly trained “independent” “citizen journalist”, Haugen couldn’t be bothered to have found out that legal, unintoxicated (blood alcohol below .04%) permit holders are allowed to carry guns in bars in Minnesota.<\/p>\n The “C’mon, Thomas Jefferson – Work With King George!” Award: <\/strong>To the entire Twin Cities media and leftymedia (pardon the redundancy), for their nonstop pressure on the GOP to not just forgive and forget the Override Six<\/a> for stabbing their party and constituents in the back, but to pretty much become DFLers anyway. As usual.<\/p>\n Government Official As Mushroom Farmer Award: <\/strong>This one goes to Dakota County Attorney Jim Backstrom, in his response to Rep. Cornish’s bill. Backstrom demonstrates the old adage – if you can’t dazzle ’em with brilliance, just lie<\/a>, since the media will back you up anyway<\/a>.<\/p>\n And finally, the big kahuna – the one we’ve been waiting for all year:<\/p>\n The Charles Townsend Award <\/strong>– In 1765, British parliamentarian Charles Townsend, in noting the Colonies\u2019 protests against the Stamp Act, said:<\/p>\n \u201cAnd now will these Americans, Children planted by our Care, nourished up by our Indulgence until they are grown to a Degree of Strength & Opulence, and protected by our Arms, will they grudge to contribute their mite to relieve us from the heavy weight of that burden which we lie under?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n And this year’s winner is…<\/p>\n (Drum Roll)<\/p>\nMNBlue<\/strike> MnProgressiveProject<\/strike> some wackjob commieblog knows who the real heroes are<\/a>.<\/p>\n