Reason Nominated for a Record 30 Southern California Journalism Awards
From "Game of Thrones: Libertarian Edition" to depressing criminal-justice investigations to this here blog, Reason's eclectic 2017 work receives some industry recognition.

The Greater Los Angeles Press Club, whose coverage area reaches from Santa Barbara in the north to the border fencing down south, has announced finalists for its 60th annual Southern California Journalism Awards. Reason, your multipronged defender/explorer of "Free Minds and Free Markets," has broken our previous record with 30 nominations.
The categories include Best Group Blog and Best Website of a traditional news organization (we're up against The Hollywood Reporter, KCET, KPCC, and Variety), plus the following cross-platform nominations:
Best Humor/Satire Writing: Austin Bragg, Meredith Bragg, and Andrew Heaton, for "Game of Thrones: Libertarian Edition"
Best Obituary/Appreciation, Politics/Business/Arts: Brian Doherty, for "Tom Petty, RIP"
Best Activism Journalism: David Bier, for "Why the Wall Won't Work"
Best Health Journalism: Eric Boehm, for "A Baby Dies in Virginia"
Best National Political/Government Reporting: Robert W. Poole Jr., for "Your Flight Is Delayed," and Jesse Walker, for "The Indestructible Idea of the Basic Income"
Best Educational Reporting: Lenore Skenazy and Jonathan Haidt, for "The Fragile Generation"
Best Environmental Reporting: Shawn Regan, for "How Capitalism Saved the Bees"
Best Minority/Immigration Reporting (print): Joe Coon, for "Bringing Bandar Home"
Best Commentary on TV/Film: Zach Weissmueller, for "What HBO's Veep Gets Right About Politics"
Best Criticism on Books/Art/Architecture/Design: Brian Doherty, for "The Great James Buchanan Conspiracy"
Best Criticism on Food/Culture: Peter Suderman, for "Government Almost Killed the Cocktail"
Reason also pulled down a bunch of nominations in the Magazine category, including:
Best Investigative Story: Elizabeth Nolan Brown, for "American Sex Police"
Best Columnist: Virginia Postrel (for "Love Your Homemade Quilt? Thank Capitalism," "Umbrellas: The iPhones of the Victorian Age," and "When Buying Life Insurance Was Deemed Immoral"); Deirdre Nansen McCloskey (for "One Woman's Adventures in Gender Crossing and Civil Disobedience," "The Myth of Technological Unemployment," and "An Economist Goes to Shanghai"); and J.D. Tuccille (for "Your Handy Guide to Camping in Forbidden Places," "RIP Jerome Tuccille, Author of It Usually Begins With Ayn Rand," and "Where Radar Cameras Fear To Tread")
Best Feature, Business/Government (over 1,000 words): Mike Riggs, for "How Washington Lost the War on Muscle"
Best Entertainment News or Feature: Peter Suderman, for "Young Men Are Playing Video Games Instead of Getting Jobs. That's OK. (For Now.)"
We also have several nominations in the Television category, including:
Best Entertainment News or Feature: Meredith Bragg, for "Chinese Dissident Ai Weiwei Explores the Tragedy of the Refugee Crisis"
Best Non-Entertainment Personality Profile/Interview: Justin Monticello, Alex Manning, and Zach Weissmueller, for "This Self-Taught Programmer Is Bringing Transparency to California Politics"
Best Documentary Short (under 25 minutes): Paul Detrick and Alex Manning, for "Insane Clown Posse: 'We're First Amendment Warriors' for Juggalo Nation"
We received multiple Online nominations as well:
Best News Article, Government/Politics: Eric Boehm, for "After Challenging Red Light Cameras, Oregon Man Fined $500 for Practicing Engineering Without a License"
Best Investigative Article: C.J. Ciaramella and Lauren Krisai, for "How Florida Entraps Pain Patients, Forces Them to Snitch, Then Locks Them Up for Decades"
Best Lifestyle Feature: Mike Riggs, for "Medical Researchers Are Steps From Legalizing Ecstasy. Here's How They Did It"
Best Columnist: Scott Shackford, for "Chelsea Manning Showed Us the Consequences of War, and We Threw Her in Prison," "People Who Called Snowden a Traitor Shocked to Learn About All This Domestic Surveillance," and "The Government is Here to Make Sure Your Fidget Spinner Doesn't Kill Everybody"
Best Political Commentary, National: Matt Welch, for "The Neoliberal Era Is Over"
Best Sports Commentary: Eric Boehm, for "Atlanta Braves' New Stadium Is a Disaster for Taxpayers and Fans"
Best Entertainment and Celebrity News: Elizabeth Nolan Brown, for "Hot Girls Wanted: Exploiting Sex Workers in the Name of Exposing Porn Exploitation?"
Winners will be announced June 24; last year we won five gold medals after receiving 28 nominations.
Reason could not produce this work, let alone achieve such recognition, without your active support, whether through donations, subscriptions, comments, retweets, or leaving a stealth copy on the table at the dentist's office. So thank you!
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to post comments
Is that something to be proved of?
*proud
WORST FIRST COMMENT GOES TO YOU
Punctuality has a quality all its own
WORSE C*MMENT EVAH!
I just got paid $6784 working off my laptop this month. And if you think that?s cool, my divorced friend has twin toddlers and made over $9k her first month. It feels so good making so much money when other people have to work for so much less.
This is what I do...>>>> http://www.profit70.com
Best Blog Commenter: Yours truly, who has two thumbs and is using them to point to himself, this guy. It's not an honor just to be nominated. That's loser talk.
Congratulations to Reason and all my fellow nominees.
You're gonna have to work pretty hard to compete with Crusty's full-court FYC blitz.
Why not have our own contest. We already have the Worst Troll winner, but how about:
Most Prolific Commenter
Most Humorous Commenter
Least Humorous Commenter
Commenter With Most Obscure References
Most Racist Commenter
Filthiest Commenter
Most Poetic Commenter
Worst Parody Commenter
Commenter With Most Cats
Commenter With Greatest Porn Expertise
Commenter With Most Creative Living Arrangement
Least Libertarian Commenter
Least Self-Aware Commenter
Post your nominations or add new categories. Commenters are eligible to win more than one category.
Most Prolific Commenter
Eddie probably,
now what about the Most Prochoice-ic Commenter?
I get what you're trying to say about me, but i'm not racist, asshole.
Only one of those was meant for you. But I nominate you as Commenter Dishing Out Nicknames Most Likely To Stick. And also as Commenter Most Obsessed With Obscure Scifi Works No One Else Has Fucking Heard Of.
As to the second one, the basic cultural literacy of the commentariat has really gone downhill.
Commenter With Greatest Porn Expertise
Do you realize the Pandora's Box you're opening? Are you trying to crash the commenting system?
That category requires the word "greatest" to be stretched in interesting and tortured ways, much like the genitalia in the referenced porns.
Everyone seems to agree it's me for some reason.
Commenter With Greatest Porn Expertise
*cracks knuckles and stares at Crusty*
Come at me bro.
Pfft. I have to use several programs to organize and retrieve my stash. Plus, I own physical media too. You faggots are fucked (figuratively and literally).
I used to throw all of my stuff in one folder, and when I wanted to find something I would just sample around until I found it or came.
used to
How do you organize it now, if it all? Regardless, that's so archaic, and I feel sorry for your parents.
I don't store anything now. I never bother to repeat anymore, so I never store anything.
You don't worry about finding a great piece of erotic material and then not being able to find it again? Jesus, help this man.
I never repeat. Not anymore. Not for years.
He has a folder for when he's commenting on Reason and another for when he's not.
There's a lot of us, and as we all know everybody needs a trophy. As such I propose the following categories:
- Most Normal Commentator (with respect to Libertarians?)
- Most Garrulous Commentator
- Most Laconic Commentator
- Commentator with the Cutest Penis
- Commentator with the Ugliest Penis
- Commentator with the Worst Hygiene
- Commentator least likely to be Tulpa
- Commentator with the Worst Taste
- Commentator least likely to be Tulpa
No trick questions.
What if my penis is ugly/cute like a pug?
Sigh, we'll have to put it to a vote. Upload an image to imgur.
The title is what most women say to me I think they are just being polite, since I'm a nice guy.
I was hoping that would be the link to your submission. Fuck.
Pugs aren't cute. Anybody who says otherwise is a contestant for Commentator with the Worst Taste.
Send nominations to crusty@chinchillahouse.com
Most Likely To Commentate And Absquatulate?
Most Garrulous Commentator
Ken Shultz has the stamina to go ad nausium.
Someone really needs to volunteer as his editor.
Don't try that for Hihn. I gave some friendly advice on some typos on his blog and he freaked out. Next time I saw him he was linking directly to his hate list.
But I wasn't on it. 🙁
Least Self-Aware Commenter
Certainly not I.
Least Self-Aware Commenter
That Rev. Kirkland guy I reckon.
I was gonna say Tony, but now that you mention it - yeah, Kirkland, hands down.
He's less libertarian than Tony as well.
Kirkland has been a Volokh troll for so, so long. I think it's an act that worked at WaPo but we have better long term trolls and he couldn't compete.
The free market wins again.
Most Humorous Commenter
*rises from his chair but trips, knocking over a table of pies*
8/10, you need to specify the type of chair and pies
Face-full of creampies obviously.
Most Humorous Commenter
Seriously this time, Fist, but I don't want to boost his ego.
Hit for hit I usually like Telecontrar. He posts much more rarely though.
Telecontrar is up there, but so are Leo and Rich. You, BUCS and X ain't too shabby either. Seriously, I feel like I am gonna offend people by forgetting to list someone, so let me just say I appreciate y'all's efforts to make us laugh. It's a collective effort.
Consider me offended. And consider yourself on the list that you don't want to be on.
Would that be... The List of Fist???
he is my pick for Worst Hygiene/Filthiest because he's too busy hitting refresh to take a morning shower
Fist has good jokes from time to time, but he goes for the lowest hanging fruit so often that it sort of obscures his more brilliant efforts.
Which would you rather have in a pinch? A musket sighted perfectly or a fully automatic machine gun? You'll be enjoying a lot more delicious fruit off the ground if you're picking it with a Gatling gun.
Fair enough, Fist, fair enough. You do make me laugh and I appreciate all the effort. You are irreplaceable around here.
Most Poetic Commenter
Did Agile Cyborg return to the Borg (to destroy them)?
Agile died when that pile of Rolling Rock bottles and tape measures in his garage collapsed on top of him. He died fully erect and tripping.
Have I returned to save the Jews
Or to destroy them?
Does Hihn get the Lifetime Achievement Award?
It's not fair considering he's got 10 or 12 lifetimes over everyone else here.
The Christ, What an Asshole Award.
Not for being an asshole, but insightfully commenting on some of the many pieces of awful/oppressive law being churned out by out integrity-filled politicians every week.
"Commenter With Most Cats"
Is that not a loss in life?
Need a category for:
Best Running Commentary Slogan/Retort
Who originated "Fuck off, slaver"? Because that one covers most of the good stuff.
Reason: the most beautiful girl in the whole wide room, depending on the room.
Congratulations!
Funny, I would have expected y'all to be insulted by this, what with how often (and how virulently) y'all complain about all things California.
What's with the stupid fucking "y'all" affectation?
I also say "howdy" and wear cowboy boots.
Stop lying.
I can't wear cowboy boots 'cause my feet are all messed up. That would have fully aligned myself with my home if I pulled it off though.
Isn't Orange county the one Republican enclave in CA? Coincidence? I think not.
That some counties are red has never stopped y'all from insulting all of California before.
If you're going to do something, go all the way. Isn't that what y'all say?
(A) not something I say
(B) I'm skeptical that you'd let something you think I say influence your behavior.
I'm trying to unpack B. I'll have to get back to you.
http://twitter.com/paulsperry_.....71040?s=21
Apparently the IG has found grounds for bringing criminal charges in the handling of the Clinton email investigation. Watching Reason suddenly become defenders of the FBI is going to be delicious.
Authoritarian...Illiberal... "constitutional crisis"...Trump's IG...
Suddenly law enforcement misconduct will be just no big deal. I expect them to deal with this the way they dealt with Rotherham. They will first ignore it and pretend that things like this weeks 40 th article about opioids or the new food truck regulation in Peoria are just too important to have the time to deal with the biggest federal law enforcement scandal in decades. Then publish a Friday evening story saying "this is really about both sides being equally evil and really about Trump being the worst ever " and leave it at that.
You're totally right. I mean, Reason would never run a piece about how people have taken Trump's words out of context to make it look like he said something totally different. They're all secret leftists who all hate Trump. No exceptions.
No they would run a story that says somehow both sides are at fault for the media lying. They will do something similar here.
Hm. Because that's not the story I saw earlier today.
Everyone knows how sensitive you are when it comes to Republicans and conservative causes, but your bitching gets really old. Anything short of fawning over Trump is leftist. One of these days you'll figure out that Reason, like most libertarians, hates everyone equally.
"but your bitching gets really old. "
Now you know how the rest of us feel when we see you in a cop thread.
And two words; Dave Weigel
First they hated the FBI...then love the FBI...then hate the FBI.
Soave got skunked!
BRING BACK HEATON YOU FUCKERS
^This.
Congratulations - I'm sure the cocktail party will be lit AF.
It's a cash bar. Los Angeles is not D.C.
You better rock the cash bar, Scott.
Oh, and there's a silent auction full of leftover shit from Oscar gift baskets. That sounds like a joke but I don't actually think it is.
This auction is your one chance at stardom. Bid you whole wealth if you have to. You need that designer hair conditioner.
Britschgi don't like it.
lol
At least you'll be tucked in by 10pm.
Is there fruit sushi?
Did we do good? Did we do good?
/slap!
Congratulations again for all the recognition from your peers, but, um, I've seen some of your peer group and.....I don't know how to end this sentence without making a reference to winning a gold medal at the Special Olympics.
You know what's better than winning gold at the Special Olympics? Not being retarded.
That was funny. I mean laugh out loud funny. Well played
He stole it from the people giving him his medal.
That was even funnier.
The current Tulpa sock is bitter because he only got silver.
But it's still better than your bronze!
Just take your funny and get out of the room on a high like Costanza.
obligatory
Congrats Reason. Your reporting on things other publications don't touch or rarely do has my respect. Thanks for also publishing quality pieces on civil liberties, because it's so important, and also for being a general voice of reason in an increasingly crazy and polarized social/political time. Cheers.
Still one of the better places out there and well-deserved indeed.
But they need to reconsider their roster in my humble opinion.
WTF? Not one award winning article by Richmond or Shecky? Awards given in southern California? Ain't buy'in it.
Shackford got nominated for Best Columnist if that's who Shecky is.
Nah. Shecky Dalmatian the sage of all things immigration.
Not based on those banal Peterson articles though.
Does not surprise me that moon bats nominated CNN, I mean Reason.
We Hate Trump And do our best to convince you to hate Trump.
"Southern California Journalism Awards"
The Special Olympics of writing?
Love this site; let's make it make a difference, no?...yes
If I may suggest a clearing up and clearing up of just who you, us, we are. I am still figuring out how this system works, from hard to soft, to hard again. Google "reason" and a lot claim the name; doesn't really matter, or does it, yes/ no; be clear
peace