We’re celebrating at NS towers this morning after this blog was named best online comment site at the Editorial Intelligence Comment Awards. As I said in my acceptance speech, the “Staggers” began life as a pejorative (in reference to the NS‘s periodic crises in funding, management and ownership) but like other terms that originated as insults, such as “impressionist”, “suffragette” and “intellectual”, we’ve reclaimed it as one of honour.
Thanks to all who have contributed, especially my colleague Rafael Behr, Richard Morris and James Maxwell, and to all of you for reading and commenting.
Among the other winners were David Allen Green, who was named best mainstream media blogger for his forensic legal commentary for the NS, City AM‘s Allister Heath (business commentator – a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the libertarian position) Flip Chart Rick (independent blogger), the Times (best comment pages – Tim Montgomerie has proved to be as fine an editor as we all expected) and Caitlin Moran, who won a remarkable four awards: cultural commentator, commentariat of the year, Twitter public personality and chair’s choice (should they be renamed The Caitlins?)
Here’s the full list of winners.
Best Online Comment Site: The Staggers, the New Statesman
Business Commentator: Allister Heath, City AM
Cultural Commentator: Caitlin Moran, the Times
Economics Commentator: David Smith, the Sunday Times
Foreign Commentator: Patrick Cockburn, the Independent and the Independent on Sunday
Independent Blogger: Steven Toft (AKA Flip Chart Rick)
Mainstream Media Blogger: David Allen Green
Media Commentator: Michael Wolff, GQ
Political Commentator: Daniel Finkelstein, the Times
Science Commentator: Anjana Ahuja, freelance writer
Sports Commentator: Matthew Syed, the Times
Twitter Public Personality: @caitlinmoran
Columnist of the Year: Allison Pearson, Daily Telegraph
Best Comment Pages: the Times
Commentariat of the Year: Caitlin Moran, the Times
Chair’s Choice: Caitlin Moran, the Times