Our weekly recognition of less-than-meritorious excellence in journalism is worthy of Pulitzer Prize consideration.

As an extension of the media-mocking venture at Townhall, Riffed From The Headlines, we once again recognize the exalted performances in our journalism industry and compile worthy submissions to the Pulitzer Prize board in numerous categories. To properly recognize the low watermark in the press, let us get right to the latest exemplars of journalistic mis-excellence.

Distinguished Investigative Reporting

• Ciara O’Rourke – Politifact

We recently covered how the EIC at Politifact tried defending the writers from online criticisms. It seems this will be a growing need as the staff at the fact-check authority continues to put out irrelevant corrections instead of covering more pertinent issues, such as, maybe, the mounting lies pouring out of the White House – maybe???

Instead, here is some of the trivial type of reporting they choose to focus on. Take relief, dear readers – those photos on Facebook of Kim Jung Un having lost significant weight have been shown to be inaccurate – the photos have been manipulated!

After South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had recently lost 44 pounds, a photo claiming to show him having lost weight has been altered. https://t.co/T7Dz1Vhzov

— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) June 17, 2022

Distinguished Explanatory Reporting

• Kate Bennett — CNN

With everything unspooling at a steady pace in the Biden administration you would think an enterprising reporter would have no shortage of material to work with on a daily basis. Kate Bennett, White House correspondent for CNN, is not so enterprising. But she is available for distracting reports to deflect away from bike falls, policy disasters, and a spokesperson who is out of her depth.

Kate delivers for us a detailed exploration of what is involved in the life of Willow, the Biden’s pet cat.

NEW: What it's really like to be Willow https://t.co/47act9N3vo

— Kate Bennett (@KateBennett_DC) June 17, 2022

Distinguished National Reporting

• Jeff Jarvis – Newmark Journalism School

It was rather surprising on Friday night to see news delivered that a production team from “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (along with “Triumph the Insult Comic Dog” creator, Robert Smigel) had been arrested for trespassing in the Capitol, after previously being escorted out earlier in the day. As the report came out, journalism professor Jeff Jarvis had a read on who the real villains were in this news story — the Capitol Police.

In strikingly rapid fashion, this force of sainted officers who had been hailed by the J-6 Committee just a week ago has become a group of anti-American terrorist sympathizers in a matter of days.

Capitol Police whitewash terrorists casing the building to attack it but arrest Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.
‘Late Show’ Production Team Arrested at U.S. Capitol While Filming Television Stunt https://t.co/jN0BZNFtk4

— Jeff Jarvis (@jeffjarvis) June 18, 2022

Distinguished Explanatory Reporting

• John Avlon – CNN

On the struggling morning program New Day, the reliably but unintentionally entertaining John Avlon gave details on specifics about the ongoing flight of Hispanic voters from the Democrats. It compounds the amusement that his stentorian and officious delivery is made in front of his graphic — which showed Bill Clinton opposing Trump in the 2016 presidential race.

Recall, FoxNews is said to be a fake news network because they cannot even get the small things correct, according to CNN experts.
How many editorial layers missed @JohnAvlon insisting Bill Clinton ran for president in 2016? pic.twitter.com/sHWDmchICa

— Lie-Able Sources (@LieAbleSources) June 16, 2022

Distinguished Local Reporting

• Jeff Kart – Forbes Magazine

You have to applaud the effort to correct an environmental scourge invasion, even if you might want to question the methodology. Tamworth Distilling in New Hampshire saw a local problem, and decided they had a creative solution.

The area is beset with an invasive species, the green crab, and so the business owners struck a deal with local trappers and concocted a new whiskey that is infused with the byproduct of this crustacean.

Thousands of green crabs, weighing a total of 90-plus pounds, were harvested by a local trapper from the region of Seabrook, New Hampshire, for the whiskey. The crabs were delivered to the distillery to be cleaned and cooked down to a crab stock. The stock was fortified with Tamworth-made neutral grain spirits and distilled on a large rotary vacuum still “until the ideal crab essence was achieved,” the company says.

If you can't beat 'em, might as well drink 'em! https://t.co/zj79Bv34Vt

— Tamworth Distilling (@tamworthdistill) June 6, 2022

Distinguished National Reporting

• Jordan Valinsky – CNN

While we would never dissuade journalists from reporting on potables — seeing as how I (report on them here on the regular — there is a call for a serving of accuracy. It is a cool idea to have Jack & Coke in a can, but the only thing special here is the brand.

As CNN clearly was working off the ad copy from a corporate press release, a modicum of research would have explained this was hardly a novel concept.

Hardly news – this has LONG been available.
The difference is the branding with Coca-Cola. https://t.co/y3MnQ5Tzlw pic.twitter.com/NLXQ78Guy9

— Brad Slager 🍸🥃🍺🎙 Lifetime Subscriber to CNN+ (@MartiniShark) June 14, 2022