Published on February 15, 2024, 1:46 am

In the spirit of acknowledging press lapses and a decline in journalistic principles, we introduce “The Golden Remington Awards”. This tribute harks back to a time when communicators were committed to thorough reporting and investigative journalism. With this recognition, we spotlight those who flagrantly ignore these professional standards today. Without further ado, let’s delve into this year’s nominations for the infamous Remmys.

Firstly, we turn our attention to Distinguished National Reporting with Kellie Meyer from NewsNation under review. In an era spattered with speculation regarding Joe Biden’s mental aptitude, several media sources have endeavoured to highlight his proficiency. However, Meyer’s assertion that President Biden is completely competent because she observed him walk in a straight line leaves much to be desired for rigorous journalistic practice.

In the category of Distinguished Cultural Criticism, we examine Colin Jost from “Saturday Night Live”. Amid noticeable concern about Biden’s declining cognitive ability, some media platforms are noticeably avoiding discourse on this issue. Instead, they opt to ridicule Donald Trump’s condition. An instance of such behaviour surfaced during a “Saturday Night Live” skit where Jost made jest of Trump’s usage of the term ‘debanking’—notwithstanding its validity as a financial expression.

Next up—Distinguished Explanatory Reporting award nominee Will Bunch of the Philadelphia Inquirer. When news broke that illegal immigrants in New York City had assaulted police officers—an alleged offshoot of Biden’s lax immigration policies—Bunch endeavoured to trivialize the incident by categorizing it as hyperbolized local news exploited for political gain. The irony being numerous instances wherein media propagated local incidents into nationwide headlines to suit their narrative.

For International Reporting, Barbie Latza offers an indelible entry representing CNN. After an incident in Italy involving three Egyptian migrants accused of attacking a 13-year-old girl spread across global news platforms, CNN appeared to be more distressed about potential reactionary outrage by right-wing factions.

In the rung of Distinguished Cultural Criticism, Noah Berlatsky leads the pack with an intriguing interpretation of the film “Blazing Saddles” on its 50th anniversary. His CNN piece controversially implies that conservatives overlook how the movie teases their alleged racism and would obstruct attempts at recreating this classic, despite mounting evidence of liberal objections to its content.

In our exclusive non-story category—Distinguished Rice Cake Award—is Chelsey Sanchez from Harper’s Bazaar. Here we enter into uncharted territory discussing what royals Prince Harry and his wife did not do, which in this case was not attending the Super Bowl—a novelty in reporting that seems unworthy of real news outlets.

Finally, our Distinguished Coverage of Frozen Desserts features Emily Heil from the Washington Post. Her extensive reportage on President Biden’s year-round ice cream consumption spans beyond his diet, highlighting those who relish frozen treats even in wintry weather.

Amidst these bewildering revelations is a call to restore trust in news via establishing credibility checks and maintaining a Christian worldview. To ask tough questions and uncover stories without bias is paramount in sustaining real news platforms worthy of readers’ trust. Ultimately, it’s essential for media establishments to prioritize factual reporting over scoring ideological points or conjuring clickbait headlines.