1. Recognition of the Judges for the Annual NQ Awards
Some well-earned recognition for the 52 expert media observers who served as the judges for the MRC’s "Best Notable Quotables of 2002, the 15th Annual Awards for the Year's Worst Reporting."

2. Columns on the Quotes by Three Judges
Links to columns on the quotes written by three judges: Mona Charen, Marvin Olasky and Patrick McGuigan.

Recognition of the Judges for the Annual NQ Awards

     To determine this year’s winners of the MRC’s "Best Notable Quotables of 2002, the 15th Annual Awards for the Year's Worst Reporting," a panel of 52 radio talk show hosts, magazine editors, columnists, editorial writers and media observers each selected their choices for the first, second and third best quote from a slate of six to nine quotes in each category as listed on a ballot sent to them just before Thanksgiving.

     First place selections were awarded three points, second place choices two points, with one point for the third place selections.

     To see the results, go to: http://archive.mrc.org/notablequotables/bestof/2002/welcome.asp

     For an Adobe Acrobat PDF that matches the eight-page hard copy version: http://archive.mrc.org/notablequotables/bestof/2002/pdf/BestofNQ2002.pdf

     Since they are the key to giving the issue credibility and prominence, on this day before a holiday week I thought I’d give them the well-earned recognition they deserve by highlighting their names and affiliations. So, in alphabetical order, here are the 2002 award judges:

Lee Anderson, Editorial Page Editor, Chattanooga Free Press

Chuck Asay, editorial cartoonist, The Gazette in Colorado Springs

Brent Baker, MRC VP; Editor of CyberAlert and Notable Quotables

Mark Belling, talk show host, WISN in Milwaukee

Neal Boortz, nationally syndicated radio talk show host

L. Brent Bozell III, President of the Media Research Center

David Brudnoy, radio talk show host, WBZ in Boston; journalism professor at Boston University

Priscilla Buckley, Contributing Editor of National Review

Mona Charen, columnist with Creators Syndicate

William R. Cotterell, political reporter, Tallahassee Democrat

Ann Coulter, author, Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right

Mark Davis, talk show host, WBAP in Dallas-Ft. Worth & ABC Radio; columnist, Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

Midge Decter, New York City-based author

Jim Eason, retired radio talk show host

Don Feder, commentator, DonFeder.com & Don Feder Associates

Eric Fettmann, columnist & Associate Editorial Page Editor, New York Post

Ryan Frazier, editorial page writer, Richmond Times-Dispatch

David Gold, talk show host, KSFO in San Francisco

Tim Graham, White House correspondent, World magazine

Stephen Hayes, staff writer for The Weekly Standard

Kirk Healy, Executive Producer, WDBO Radio in Orlando

Quin Hillyer, editorial writer for the Mobile Register

Jeff Jacoby, columnist for the Boston Globe

Marie Kaigler, former radio talk show host for WJR in Detroit

Cliff Kincaid, Editor of the AIM Report

Mark Larson, talk show host, KRLA (Los Angeles) and KCBQ (San Diego)

Jason Lewis, talk show host, KSTP in Minneapolis/St. Paul

Kathryn Jean Lopez, Editor of National Review Online

Tony Macrini, talk show host, WNIS in Norfolk, Virginia

Michelle Malkin, syndicated columnist and Fox News contributor

Bernadette Malone, columnist, The Union Leader (Manchester, NH) and editor at Regnery Publishing

Patrick B. McGuigan, Capital Editor of Tulsa Today

Joe McQuaid, Publisher, The Union Leader (Manchester, NH)

Wes Minter, afternoon talk show host, KRMG/Cox Radio in Tulsa

Jane Norris, talk show host, WMAL in Washington, DC

Robert D. Novak, CNN commentator; Chicago Sun-Times columnist

Rich Noyes, Director of Media Analysis for the Media Research Center

Kate O'Beirne, Washington Editor of National Review

Marvin Olasky, Editor-in-Chief of World magazine and professor of journalism at the University of Texas-Austin

Janet Parshall, nationally syndicated radio talk show host

Henry Payne, editorial cartoonist, The Detroit News

Wladyslaw Pleszczynski, Editor of TheAmericanProwler.org; Executive Editor of The American Spectator

Michael Reagan, nationally syndicated radio talk show host

Mike Rosen, talk show host, KOA in Denver; columnist, Denver Rocky Mountain News

William A. Rusher, Distinguished Fellow, Claremont Institute

Ted J. Smith III, Professor of journalism, Virginia Commonwealth University

Cal Thomas, syndicated columnist and Fox News contributor

Bruce Tinsley, Mallard Fillmore cartoonist

R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr., Editor-in-Chief of The American Spectator

Dick Williams, columnist; host of Atlanta’s Georgia Gang

Walter Williams, Professor of economics, George Mason University

Thomas Winter, Editor-in-Chief of Human Events

     Online, the list features links to Web pages for each judge, whether his or her own page or page about their show or work created by their employer. To access the links: http://archive.mrc.org/notablequotables/bestof/2002/bestquote.asp#judges

     As noted in Thursday’s CyberAlert, starting the day after Christmas I’ll distribute the winning quotes and top runners-up.

Columns on the Quotes by Three Judges

     Three judges have already penned columns on the quotes. Mona Charen and Marvin Olasky based their pieces on the ballot while Patrick McGuigan waited until the results were in before quickly churning out a column that was posted on Thursday. Here are links to each:

     -- Mona Charen’s December 4 column: http://www.townhall.com/columnists/monacharen/mc20021204.shtml

     -- World magazine “Closing Thoughts” article by Marvin Olasky in the December 14 edition titled, “Paranoia, hatred, ignorance: But what's this about a journalist wanting to dance with Janet Reno?” Go to: http://www.worldmag.com/world/issue/12-14-02/closing_2.asp

     -- Commentary by Patrick B. McGuigan posted December 19 on TulsaToday.com, appropriately titled: “Liberal Bias Awards 2002.” Go to: http://www.tulsatoday.com/getnews.php?key=13138

     Keep your eyes open for more columns and editorials featuring the quotes which won, or were best-liked by the judge writing the column or editorial, as well as for citations by the radio talk show hosts who took part. Future CyberAlerts will highlight them. -- Brent Baker