Best of NQ 2012

The Twenty-Fifth Annual Awards for the Year's Worst Reporting


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Media Coverage

In addition to discussions on numerous radio talk shows where hosts cited quotes or interviewed MRC representatives, the Best of NQ Awards issue has been highlighted by these outlets:

Television:

  • FNC's Hannity on December 17 played several clips with MRC President Brent Bozell as a guest to offer comment. Video
  • FNC's Fox NewsWatch on December 29 highlighted the winners in two categories. Video

Print:

Online:




The Move Along, Nothing to See Here Award
for Burying Obama’s Benghazi Scandal

Winner

Chris Matthews (114 points)

Chris Matthews, talking to a crowd waiting for debate: “What was the scandal that was covered up?”

Romney voter: “Benghazi.”

Matthews: “What was the scandal?”

Romney voter: “Well, I mean-”

Matthews, raising his voice: “Get to it, nail it, what was the scandal?!”

Romney voter: “He said it was the video. It was not about the video.”

Matthews: “Yeah, it was about the video. Read the newspaper. Thank you. Everybody knows it’s about the video. It’s all about the video. Thank you very much.”

— MSNBC’s Hardball, October 22, talking about the Obama administration’s initial claims that the Benghazi attack was the result of a “spontaneous” demonstration against an anti-Muslim video shown on YouTube. Twelve days earlier, on October 10, the State Department acknowledged there was no protest the night of the attack. [MP3 Audio]


Runners-Up

Tom Friedman (41 points)

“It’s obviously been totally politicized at this point....I lived in a civil war in Beirut for four years. These are incredibly messy situations. People don’t show up with uniforms....You can have a flash mob turn into a planned thing. You can have planned people inside of a flash mob. To me, this is an utterly contrived story in the sense that, ‘this is the end of,’ you know, ‘Obama’s foreign policy.’”
New York Times columnist Tom Friedman on NBC’s Meet the Press, October 21. [MP3 Audio]


Joe Klein (35 points)

“This business about the, you know, the Libya consulate has been like the October Mirage — it really isn’t an issue. And so, once again, tomorrow, Obama is going to have a very strong position because his foreign policy has been largely successful in terms of substance.”
Time’s Joe Klein on CBS’s Face the Nation, October 21. [MP3 Audio]