The Pulitzer Prize Dis-Honors: Protest Desserts, Political Words, and Phallic Bergs

Our weekly unworthy Pulitzer recognition of less-than-meritorious excellence in journalism.

As an extension of the media-mocking venture at Townhall, Riffed From the Headlines, we once again note the sub-exalted performances from our journalism industry in numerous categories to properly recognize the low watermark in the press.

Distinguished Public Service

Chuck Todd – NBC News

As he continues to steer the historic Meet The Press to new lows, Chuck Todd had on upstart GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, and the conversation devolved into a debate about gender and whether it is accurate to declare there are only males and females.

Todd, while attempting to claim he was clinging to science, says “There is a lot of scientific research that says gender is a spectrum.” That he failed to grasp he was debating this issue with someone who is a scientist, with a degree in biology from Harvard, no less, made this exchange all the more precious.

CHUCK TODD: Are you confident that you know that gender is as binary as you're describing it?@VivekGRamaswamy: I am.

TODD: Do you know this as a scientist?

RAMASWAMY: There are two X chromosomes if you're a woman and an X and a Y…

TODD: There is a lot of… pic.twitter.com/KyVZnASdmv

— Kevin Tober (@KevinTober94) April 30, 2023

Distinguished National Reporting

Joe Scarborough – MSNBC

With a growing tide of news outlets pushing the narrative that Justice Clarence Thomas is ethically compromised, it has been with great amusement that more information about other justices has surfaced. As journos attempt to say travel and other gifts from a billionaire friend have compromised Thomas (whose friend has not appeared before their Court) news that Justice Sonia Sotomayor has received millions of dollars from a publisher she has repeatedly ruled on at SCOTUS is derailing the narrative.

Thus, it was highly amusing that on Morning Joe, this revelation had not reached their expert panel, as the namesake host railed about Thomas in the most blissfully oblivious fashion.

For conservatives who are trying to dismiss this, I cannot even begin to imagine what would happen if it were Justice Sotomayor. Again let’s be really clear about this, everybody at this table would be shocked, and outraged, and be critical if this were a liberal justice.

Joe Scarborough responds to the latest Clarence Thomas non-scandal by saying "imagine what would happen if it were Justice Sotomayor" and "everybody at this table would be shocked and outrage and had be critical if this were a liberal justice" Who wants to tell him? pic.twitter.com/EsBrzPF8uL

— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) May 4, 2023

Distinguished Photojournalism

Anna Goni-Lessan – The Tallahassee Democrat

A group of Democrat activists marched into the office of Ron DeSantis at the Florida Capitol and staged a sit-in protest. (Against what in particular is unclear; the Democrats in the state are mad about just about everything.)

Many ended up being arrested for trespassing. You get the full sense of how effective this activism was by this photo of a DeSantis staffer looking over the scene and placidly eating cake. The move angered some of the protestors, we learned.

A staff member eats cake at the front desk in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office in the Florida Capitol while dozens of activists state a sit-in on Wednesday.

📷: @alicia_c_devine for @TDOnline pic.twitter.com/dMaJJySNvY

— Ana Goñi-Lessan (@goni_lessan) May 4, 2023

Distinguished Breaking News

Catherine Herridge – CBS News

Following the arrest of the Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira, the DOJ filed court papers to have him remain in custody, as a flight risk. In a leaked draft of the filing, Catherine Herridge reported that when officials went into Teixeira’s home, they discovered a gun locker with “a cache of weapons and tactical gear.”

The photos from the scene displayed by CBS News were toy airsoft guns, as the orange-tipped barrels were in clear view as they were broadcast on the air.

CBS News 'Exposé' on Jack Teixeira's 'Cache' of Guns Shoots Blanks https://t.co/iHkwxy2jes

— RedState (@RedState) April 27, 2023

Distinguished Explanatory Reporting

Kimberly Kruesi, Ali Swenson – Associated Press

When the January 6 riot exploded in D.C., there was a hot debate on whether it was considered an attempted takeover of the government or a protest/riot that spilled out of control. At the time, the AP came out with a lengthy explanation that it was, in fact, an insurrection that took place, complete with dictionary definitions laid out as firm proof.

Insurrection, defined as ‘an act or instance of revolting against civil authorities or an established government.’ Another is sedition, or ‘incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority.’

But a problem has arisen in the past couple of months. A number of leftist protests have erupted in numerous state capitols, and using these definitions, some on the right have declared these actions to also be insurrections.

Recognizing the usage, AP decided to “correct” this move, reaching back now to dictionaries from the 1700s to come up with a new definition for the term:

Legal experts say the term insurrection has a specific meaning — a violent uprising that targets government authority. That’s how dictionaries described it in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Making this all the more special, as the AP has now redefined its own definition, they accuse Republicans of being the ones who are misusing the term.

Republican lawmakers in Montana described a nonviolent protest against the silencing of a transgender lawmaker as an insurrection. It’s a pattern playing out across the U.S. https://t.co/2j7PnPXHl6

— The Associated Press (@AP) April 28, 2023

Distinguished International Reporting

Angie Brown – BBC Scotland

While most have at least a familiarity with the oppressive mandates handed down from homeowners associations, it is not clear why a grievance involving one such ordinance would nab the attention of a major news outlet.

Nonetheless, the BBC is on the case of a petty dispute in Edinburgh where one resident has been in a battle for nearly two years but has been recently forced into compliance. A Scottish woman has come under fire because one neighbor complained her door was pink. She was facing a significant fine. Her door is now painted a teal color.

Edinburgh pink door woman "sad and disappointed" after being forced to repaint https://t.co/rVL7Xxb0Kf

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) April 18, 2023

Distinguished Cultural Criticism

Simrin Singh – CBS News

The DeSantis Dysfunction continues unabated. In this piece, we are told that former NBA star Dwayne Wade moved out of his Miami home and relocated the family to California. He has a teenager who identifies as non-binary, and the Wades do not feel as if they are welcome in the state any longer as a result of the new laws recently passed in Florida. Small problem with this report.

No, wait — make that a large problem. Dwayne and his family have been living in California since well before these pernicious laws were passed. They relocated after his career was over in order to be closer to the work of his wife, Gabriele Union — back in 2019.

Former Miami Heat champion Dwyane Wade said he moved his family out of Florida because he felt they "would not be accepted or feel comfortable there" because of anti-LGBTQ+ policies in the state. https://t.co/K5hMCd66Jy

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 27, 2023

Distinguished Photo Journalism

Kenneth Pretty – Toronto Star

While the photo itself may or may not have qualified for our nomination, the surrounding details make this an inevitable selection. In northern Canada, Mr. Pretty snapped a photo of an iceberg that had a distinctive appearance of male genitalia, complete with a base of rounded testes.

Making things more apt is that Kenneth hails from the town of Dildo, Newfoundland. And just to ensure this is all perfect, the 30-foot floating ice phallus was photographed in Conception Bay.