You’ve already read the transcripts of the speeches from Roger L. Simon, Ron Radosh, and Claudia Rosett taken from last night’s First Annual Walter Duranty Awards. Now see the videos.
First up, Roger L. Simon, our Maximum Pajamahadeen, who notes that we are now living in a media world that’s beyond satire — plus some background on the late Walter Duranty himself:
Here’s James Taranto, goofing on Yoko Ono, Lady Gaga, and Reuters coverage thereof:
Here’s Ron Radosh on Duranty Award Runner-Up, Trig Truther and anti-circumcision obsessionalist Andrew Sullivan:
Roger Kimball awards the first runner-up award to Bob Simon of CBS’s 60 Minutes for his shameful Middle East coverage:
And finally, Claudia Rosett awards the Duranty Prize to Anna Wintour and Joan Juliet Buck of Vogue magazine for their Evita Peron-esque March 2011 cover story: “Asma al-Assad: A Rose in the Desert:”
This concludes this year’s Duranty Awards. Something tells me there will be more than few entrants for next year’s competition. (“Unexpectedly,” of course.)
My father read the NY Times during Duranty’s tenure and although he never mentioned him by name or even the Times he always spoke of the slaughter of the Ukrainians – asserting strongly that it HAD happened – with uncharacteristic bitterness. When I began reading the gray courtesan in 1956 he cautioned me to not just read the reports of speeches and the like but ALWAYS read the transcripts. So I raise my glass to The Walter Duranty Awards which right a long standing wrong – and to the memory of my father. Well done, chaps.
These speeches seem oddly cut short.