In recognizing the dregs of press unprofessionalism, journalistic sloth, and generally deserved media mockery, we have created "The Golden Remington Awards," a nod to the olden days when hard-scrabble hacks committed actual journalism and hammered out dispatches on those hefty wordsmith devices. With an eye to that past of muckraking reporting and shoe leather investigation, we acknowledge those who fail today or report in an audacious fashion.
These are the inauspicious nominations, in several categories, to be honored at the end of the year for the 2024 Remmy Awards.
Distinguished Feature Writing
Ruby Cramer - Washington Post
In an overly long profile piece, Cramer digs into the life of Joe Morelli, a man who spent time in prison after directly threatening Marjorie Taylor Greene with violence. It is an exhaustive study on the man and his battles with manic impulses and other emotional challenges. One thing that is notably absent, however, is something we always find in the press with cases of political violence.
We do not see much in the way of stern lectures about how heated rhetoric had inspired the man, or that his compulsive watching of “left-leaning talk shows” drove Morelli to lash out in his unacceptable rage. Somehow, those usual triggers alluded to regarding right-leaning sources or conservative media are not to be found in this case of someone threatening a member of the Republican Party.
In 2023, there were 8,008 recorded cases of threats against members of Congress, according to the U.S. Capitol Police. In 2022, there were 7,501 cases, and Joe Morelli’s threat to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was one of them. https://t.co/D6fVizPBIL
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 27, 2024
Distinguished Explanatory Reporting
Jeffrey Gold - CNN
In a case of lax school authorities — in a Utah high school this time, not a college campus —students were permitted to come to classes as Furries. A number of other students staged a walkout because they were being harassed and even assaulted by some of the participants, and the school officials did little to address the problem.
Mr. Gold is here to provide a “fact-check,” declaring the story was false and that there had been no students dressed as Furries. He based this not on investigating and finding it untrue but upon reading an article in which a solitary school official — clearly in CYA mode — denied things happened. Small problem for Gold: there was video and other evidence showing this did, in fact, take place.
Fact check. No "furries" https://t.co/bfEPDHsfSD
— Jeffrey Evan Gold (@jeffgoldesq) April 18, 2024
Distinguished National Reporting
Charles P. Pierce - Esquire
Pierce has a sharp, analytical mind and when a major news item breaks he can assess the situation and the influences behind what transpired, and so long as the issue at hand is of a negative nature he can distill things to the obvious conclusion – it is Donald Trump’s fault.
When an emotionally disturbed individual consumed with conspiracies took his life by self-immolation in Manhattan, the blame was obvious to Pierce, despite someone else running the country for over three years now.
This, despite the guy seen with a placard declaring that Trump and Biden were the same and the real issue was our out-of-control government apparatus.
Our politics have become deranged, and the former president is the person most responsible for this fact. https://t.co/owpiuh2AQR
— Esquire (@esquire) April 20, 2024
Distinguished Editorial Writing
Jeffery Nussbaum - Politico Magazine
It turns out there is something else we can blame on Donald Trump: Washington is no longer fun, and joke-telling was ruined by the former president. In the run-up to the annual media circle jerk that is the White House Correspondents Dinner, D.C. fixture and former Biden Speechwriter Nussbaum is here to say that all the frivolity is gone in This Town, and it is all Trump’s fault.
However silly these gatherings are, they have traditionally served a serious purpose. They’re not simply a throwback to a clubbier, chummier time, although they are certainly that. They’re a recognition that when people across the political spectrum are laughing together at our own absurdity and the absurdity of the world, at least we’re seeing the same world. That’s no longer the case, and like almost every once-fun thing that is no longer fun, you can lay the blame for this state of affairs at the feet of former President Donald J. Trump.
Sorry to be the skunk at the garden party... but when you don't live in a shared world, you can't laugh at a shared truth. My latest in @POLITICOMag
— Jeffrey Nussbaum (@JeffreyNussbaum) April 22, 2024
https://t.co/P7dd5OiIYg
Distinguished Investigative Journalism
Glenn Kessler - Washington Post
Glenn was at his best deflective self regarding a story out of Michigan, where it was reported that illegal immigrants were being paid in order to have an assist with obtaining housing. Glenn raced to the fore to inform all of us that anyone claiming this was a result of Joe Biden’s policies is misinformed.
See, these illegals were paid that money from the state. However, Glenn explains things further, and undermines his efforts in the process.
The federal government, through the Office of Refugee Resettlement, a unit of the Department of Health and Human Services, has long provided hundreds of millions of dollars a year to states and nongovernment organizations to help refugees transition to life in the United States. The Office of Global Michigan supports such efforts in the state, and in October launched the Newcomer Rental Subsidy program.
So immigrants that arrived due to Biden receive housing assistance when money provided by Biden is granted to the state, and the state then pays out the funds. So, blaming Biden is completely out of line.
New #FactChecker --> Trump and allies say Biden pays rent for ‘illegals’ in Michigan. Not true. https://t.co/UzMwkbxdBl
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) April 29, 2024
Distinguished Political Cartoons
Isabelle Brourman - New York Magazine
Izzy is the courtroom sketch artist for NY Mag, and since no cameras are permitted in Donald Trump’s New York trial, these artists are becoming notable these days. Frankly, we have not been impressed.
Honestly, if a student turned in artwork of this caliber, there would be parent/counselor conferences being called.
Opening statements in the Trump criminal trial, sketched by Isabelle Brourman for @NYMag: pic.twitter.com/ZQ6c7LVoKV
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) April 25, 2024
Distinguished Local Reporting
Fox 6 News, Milwaukee
Should we chalk this up to yet another economic sector being affected by Biden’s inflation?
Or, maybe we would say, "Get a proofreader in your Chyron department."
Yeah, thanks Biden!!! pic.twitter.com/xoxNzNKVQr
— Brad Slager - Scrubbing Down In a Bloodbath (@MartiniShark) April 22, 2024
Distinguished Sports Reporting
Jason Kelce - New Heights Podcast
On the popular podcast with the Kelce brothers, Jason and Travis, a running joke is Jason being careless with his Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl ring. For one episode, the brothers staged an event at their alma mater, the University of Cincinnati, with students competing in humorous games. In honor of Jason’s tendency to misplace his ring, one of the games they staged was a scavenger hunt inside two large inflatable pools filled with Skyline chili, and competitors had to find Jason’s ring hidden somewhere in the pools.
The contestants were not successful, and in breaking down the area, nobody else could find the ring, and it is feared to have been tossed out.
Jason Kelce lost his actual Super Bowl ring in the giant pool of skyline chili 😂 #NewHeightsCincy pic.twitter.com/79qZcjPKi5
— Cincinnati 💔 (@CincyProblems) April 17, 2024
Distinguished Explanatory Reporting
Gaby Del Valle - Politico Magazine
So you are suggesting that people who usually oppose abortion are just fine with more babies being born?
In this report — from an event held last December — Del Valle found out about a conference where the organizers gathered people in favor of having more children and growing larger families for the sake of the nation. This is seemingly a problem, but why is not entirely clear. What is clear is the reporter jumping to a few conclusions absent any real proof. For one, it is said this select group of people serves as evidence that the far right is obsessed with the topic. There were about 100 people in attendance.
Then, inevitably, came the accusation that racism was at play in this conference. Except, there was no real mention of this. For Del Valle, it was just that the subject matter was kind of icky, and this meant there had to be a racial component.
Though few speakers explicitly mentioned race, the conference provided an opportunity for those with genuine concerns about population decline to join forces with, and perhaps be influenced by, those who espouse racist or regressive views.
The terms “provided an opportunity for…” and “perhaps be influenced by…” are doing a LOT of heavy lifting here.
The far right is so obsessed with making babies, they just held a whole conference about it.
— POLITICO (@politico) April 28, 2024
Behind the scenes at the first “NatalCon” ⬇️https://t.co/kLHHmetUNr
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