Old media trump new media on occasion.
Traditional print and broadcast news organizations yesterday garnered the most nominations for a Webby, the annual award honoring “excellence on the Internet” that has been likened to online Oscars. With 16 nominations, the New York Times led the pack, followed by National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service. The British Broadcasting Corp., CNN and the Guardian newspaper also were in the Top 10.
The New York-based International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences — a 550-member consortium of media heavyweights from Variety, Adweek, Wired, the Huffington Post, CBS and others — winnowed the list from 10,000 entries from 60 countries. The competition pitted news sites against oddities such as Summer of Love, an online psychedelic art gallery that features a special “LSD mode” for visual effects plus a serious disclaimer warning viewers that the site could cause seizures.
“I wouldn’t necessarily call the New York Times and those other news organizations ’old media’ anymore,” said David-Michel Davies, executive director of the Webby Awards.
“They have been consistently good online for years whether they are considered old or new. They still have strong reporting and expertise but they have also adapted to the changing nature of the media,” he said. “The Internet has created an opportunity for so many more voices. It’s great to see the little guys going up against the big guys.”
The assorted categories include science, health, lifestyle and all things weird, which includes the nominee I Can Has Cheezburger, a site devoted to grammatically challenged cats. The best multimedia “viral” — or video clip — nominees include such cheeky projects as “I Got a Crush on Obama.” And “SwiftKids For Truth” got a nod for best comedy long-form video.
Mr. Davies is particularly pleased with this year’s political antics. “Many of this year’s nominees are taking politics and advocacy to a whole new level, making it more fun, meaningful and exciting than ever before,” he said.
The awards, which limit winners’ acceptance speeches to five words, will be doled out in June.
Still, quality online is subject to interpretation. Time magazine also was in Web judgment mode yesterday, publishing an online “Blog Index,” the publication’s first list of noteworthy blogs.
“From millions of blogs about nothing, we’ve selected the 25 best about something — from politics and global affairs to shopping and sports. And yes, we’ve got a few about nothing,” noted contributing writer Tom McNichol.
Not one “old media” site made the roster.
The top pick was Ace of Spades HQ, ace.mu.nu, a combined conservative and libertarian site that yesterday published its own list, “The Ten Most Hated People On the Internet.” National Journal describes the site as “an anonymous righty blogger with a focus on the war on terror, current events and pop culture.”
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