The New York Times is creating new awards to give to itself in what one might call a case of journalistic navel-gazing.
According to a Tuesday report from Intelligencer, staffers at the outlet were encouraged to nominate Ochs Awards candidates. Nominees would vie for a top spot within one of the 25 categories, including Best Scoop, Rising Journalist and Writer of the Year. Other categories would be separated by genre, such as ” beat reporting (in culture and lifestyle, in news) and Editor of the Year (culture and lifestyle, news, audiovisual,)” Intelligencer explained.
“The finalists in each category would be selected by ‘relevant committees of editors,’ and the masthead would then choose the winners,” the story noted.
Said finalists were announced on Monday, and those who didn’t receive the honor were “invited to join virtually to ‘raise a glass to the winners'” on February 10.
“Unfortunately, we can’t accommodate the entire company at the event. We’ll have room for finalists and winners, as well as their editors. The event will be livestreamed so that the rest of the newsroom and company can be part of the celebration as well,” said publisher A. G. Sulzberger.
But while this seems like a perfect opportunity for NY Times staffers to shamelessly pat themselves, and each other, on the back, many are cringing instead.
“When it’s no longer possible to chew up our competitors (too diminished, if not outright demolished), of course we choose to sharpen our teeth on each other,” Intelligencer quoted one reporter as saying.
“This is really just a delightfully insane thing to do,” quipped another.
Indeed, it seems that many of the nominees are the big names you’d expect to take first place in their respective categories.
From Intelligencer:
The Daily, The Ezra Klein Show, and Popcast are finalists for Best Podcast Episode. Maggie Haberman is part of two of the three teams competing for Best Scoop and is also a finalist for The Punch Sulzberger Award for Reporting Without Favor. (“First of all,” one reporter said, “who is reporting with favor? That’s hilarious.”) Lydia Polgreen, M. Gessen, and David French are the Opinion Writer of the Year finalists.
To be fair, not every finalist is a household name, and some categories seem designed explicitly to recognize less visible staffers, like the Behind the Scenes Award, Best Product Contribution, and various subsections of Best Editor. Several staffers said they were glad to see their colleagues get some recognition.
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One newsroom staffer described the internal awards ceremony as “a perfect way to read who the masthead has on their gold star list. Another way to make everyone more insecure.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to write. Marlee also contributes to BizPac Review.
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