LA Press Club Awards Autopsy

Reason scored two winners and a couple places and shows at last night's Southern California Journalism Awards:

Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch won the Entertainment/Reviews/Criticism/Column plaque for Welch's column "Locker-Room Liberty." Here's the article and here is Gillespie's editor's note on the topic.

Ronald Bailey took home the award for Online Column/Commentary/Criticism. Actually, I took it home, but Bailey won it, for his series "Creation Summer Camp. Read that one here, here, and here.

Maia Szalavitz was a runner-up in Feature/Commentary, for her article "In Defense of Happy Pills."

Gillespie scored second place in Online Column/Commentary/Criticism.

Hit & Run itself got an honorable mention in Weblog, Group, losing out to LAVoice.org and Losanjealous.com.

Congratulations also to Gary King, my cousin's ex-boyfriend, who scored the design award for his work on Venice Paper.

Complete winners, photos here. I still have a contact high from being in the same room with Larry King.

Comments

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Congrats, great job all. I am of the opinion that H&R is a better blog than Losanjealous (they've got ya'll on the name though).

Now, I'm going back down to the beach.

[Ruthless]

Admittedly one of the cousins of the H&R squirrels labors here inside my computer, but I just want to announce he got a hernia trying to open LAVoice.org.
Now we have one more thing in common. (We two like nuts too. Take that Herrick.)

Wish me luck as we try to open LosAnjealous.

I was hoping to do a hometown search on my equivalent of rock star PLATONIC! cyber pal, Arlene Peck.

How can group blog sites that give hernias to squirrels win stuff? Shouldn't PETA be protesting against them with nekkid wimmin? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Ruthless]

Okay, Peppy and I had an easier time opening Losanjealous.com. One reason is probably that it is a "com" rather than an "org." (orgs: bleah!)
But I wasn't seduced by the very first topic staring at me: "The Quest for the 45 cent Taco." Excuse me, but that is just not how I roll.
But I'll give them this. Their slogan is "putting a little fun into Los Angeles."
Last night I Googled "Sinincincinnati" and saw that I'm beginning my second page of hits.
As Regis is fond of saying, "I'm only one man!"
But, hey, beginning my second Google page:
I'm excited.
An old friend of mine is the guy who put the "!" after Hamilton!, OH, and we all know how that turned out.
You don't know how that turned out?
Google it.

[M. Simon]

I'm still waiting for the Reason article on the latest discoveries on the nature of addiction.

The NIDA says that drugs do not cause addiction. What is the cause? NIDA says it is 50% genetic and 50% environmental (what I prefer to call trauma). Pretty close to what I have been saying for four years.

Suprsingly (or not) no one has picked up on this little scientific gem. Not left, not right, not center, not libertarian.

You have to wonder why scientific news that is supported by the government AND undercuts the drug war is of no interest.

I guess it is a lot like creationism. No amount of science can undercut strongly held beliefs. The DEA will be pleased.

[Rick Barton]

Kudos to all the Reason winners!

Ronald Bailey took home the award for Online Column/Commentary/Criticism. Actually, I took it home, but Bailey won it

The ability to create humor out of the comedicly neutral is an indication of comic genius. Robin Williams, Richard Pryor, Tim Cavanaugh...these are the three top names that come to mind.

Hit & Run itself got an honorable mention in Weblog, Group, losing out to LAVoice.org and Losanjealous.com.

Sounds like maybe we were the victim of regional bias...

[Rick Barton]

...Of course Reason is in LA too. Never mind.

[M. Simon]

Here is a good resource for further research:

Genetics and Drug Abuse.

Note that it is not even one of my articles and it was published in Canada this April.

Of course the spin is drug warrior all the way. However, facts is facts.

[mediageek]

Congratulations to all who did well.

[BornAgainIconoclast]

Congrats. Did you all run the aisle in slow motion, holding your awards while We Are The Champions played liltingly in the background?