ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Media Research Center today announces the worst liberal reporting awards from its 2008 DisHonors Awards Gala held last night at the Grand Hyatt Washington. MSNBC’s Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann, the McClatchy News Service and HBO’s Bill Maher “won” in their respective categories for their superlative bias. The competition was fierce, but a panel of distinguished judges – including Bob Novak, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Tony Blankley, Larry Kudlow and MRC’s own President Brent Bozell -- weeded through hundreds of bad journalists and thousands of lowlights to select the honorees.

“Quote of the Year” was chosen by the over 1,000 guests in attendance, and was awarded to MSNBC’s Chris Matthews for his shameless veneration of Bill Clinton –likening a speech of his to that of “Jesus in the temple.”  Matthews also secured the “Barack Obama Sends a Thrill Up My Leg Award” for his gushing over Illinois Senator Barack Obama. 

Below is a full list of the 2008 awards, winners, and the quotes that earned them their respective DisHonors.

After the DisHonors, there were the Honors.  Tony Snow was presented the second annual “William F. Buckley, Jr. Award for Media Excellence”.  And the evening concluded with a tribute to late Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, who was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his valor and self-sacrifice to save his SEAL team in Afghanistan. Lt. Murphy's father and brother were in attendance and accepted a $1,000,000 gift in their son’s name for the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, given in heartfelt gratitude by businessman Boone Pickens.

Visit www.Eyeblast.tv to access audio and video clips of the evening, along with Quote of the Year and all other award winning quotes.  

2008 DisHonors Award Winning Quotes

The Barack Obama Gives a Thrill Up My Leg Award
“He's come from a white family and a black family, and he's married to a black woman, and they're cool people. They are really cool. They are Jack and Jackie Kennedy when you see them together. They are cool. And they're great-looking, and they're cool and they're young, and they're — everything seems to be great....He may not win this thing because everybody in America is not going to be in a room with him somewhere. And it doesn't quite -- It worked with you on TV, but I tell you when you're in the room, it's just like one of those things like Hillary Clinton, if you're in the room you understand what a likable person she is. If you're in with Obama, you feel the spirit. Moving." — MSNBC's Chris Matthews talking about Democratic candidate Barack Obama on NBC's Tonight Show, January 16, 2008.

Dan Rather Memorial Award for the Stupidest Analysis
"As violence falls in Iraq, cemetery workers feel the pinch"
— Headline over an October 16, 2007 story by McClatchy News Service reporters Jay Price and Qasim Zein.

Damn Those Conservatives Award
"Everything you said about [withdrawing some troops from] Iraq yesterday, and everything you will say, is a deception, for the purpose of this one cynical, unacceptable, brutal goal: perpetuating this war indefinitely. War today, war tomorrow, war forever! And you are playing at it! Playing! A man with any self respect, having inadvertently revealed such an evil secret, would have already resigned and fled the country!...Mr. Bush, our presence in Iraq must end, even if it means your resignation, even if it means your impeachment....This country cannot run the risk of what you can still do to this country in the next 500 days." — MSNBC Countdown anchor Keith Olbermann addressing President Bush in a "Special Comment," September 4, 2007.

The I'm Not a Political Genius But I Play One on TV Award
“I'm just saying if he did die, other people, more people would live. That's a fact." — Host Bill Maher on his HBO show Real Time, March 2, 2007 discussing how a few commentators at a left-wing blog were upset that an attempt to kill Vice President Dick Cheney in Afghanistan had failed.

To schedule an interview with Eyeblast Executive Producer Danny Glover, please contact Tim Scheiderer (x. 126) or Colleen O’Boyle (x. 122) at (703) 683-5004.