Mark Levin, Monica Crowley, Ken Cribb, "Joe the Plumber," Andrew Breitbart, Ed Meese and a performance by the Capitol Steps highlighted the MRC's "2009 DisHonors Awards: Roasting the Most Outrageously Biased Liberal Reporters" presented on Thursday night, March 19 , before an audience of more than 800 in the Independence Ballroom of the Grand Hyatt hotel in Washington, D.C.

Following the presentation of the DisHonors Awards videos in four categories, a look at some "funny clips" from 2008 and the audience picking Bill Maher for the "Quote of the Year," MRC President Brent Bozell honored Brit Hume with the MRC's third annual "William F. Buckley Award for Media Excellence." Hume recounted a humorous anecdote about Buckley before predicting the decline of newspapers could lead to a return to an overtly partisan press and thus plenty of work for the MRC.

DisHonors Awards winners were selected by a distinguished panel of ten leading media observers, including Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Tony Blankley, Larry Kudlow, Cal Thomas, Walter E. Williams and Kate O'Beirne. (list of judges.)

Bozell served as Master of Ceremonies. Monica Crowley, a nationally-syndicated talk radio host and panelist on the McLaughlin Group, presented the first two awards as well as clips of interviewers fawning over Barack Obama; followed by Intercollegiate Studies Institute President Ken Cribb who set up the funny clips. National talk show host and author Mark Levin handled the third and fourth awards.

In place of the journalist who won each award, a conservative accepted it in jest. Those standing in for the winners: Andrew Breitbart, Joe Wurzelbacher, a medley of parody songs by the Capitol Steps and Ed Meese.

The evening began with welcoming remarks from Bozell, an invocation by Father John De Celles and the Pledge of Allegiance led by COL. Jay Stobbs USA Ret.

Links:

• "Funny Clips" from 2008
• "Quote of the Year"
• "William F. Buckley Award for Media Excellence."