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Saturday, November 15, 2008

STOP THE (VIRTUAL) PRESSES! Pegasus News wins Katie Award for Best Website

... along with, um, the Dallas Morning News. And, um, KERA.

Updated 10:25 a.m., November 17, 2008

by John P. Meyer

The newly-rejuvenated (and fairly judged) Katie Awards (50th anniversary edition) were handed out at the Sixth Floor Museum on Saturday evening, Nov. 15 - only a week before the 45th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. Guess who won the award for best website. (Read on.)

On hand were maybe a couple hundred media types, who took the opportunity to scarf up canapes, cubed cheese, crab cakes and a variety of wine, beer and etc.

In commemoration of the events of November 1963, the program kicked off with a tag-team talk led by Hugh Aynesworth, a reporter on the scene during (and after) the assassination at Dealey Plaza. Also reminiscing about that deadly day and its aftermath were Buell Frazier, who worked with Lee Oswald at the School Book Depository; Jerry Hill, an officer who participated in the apprehension of Oswald at the Texas Theatre; and Jim Leavelle (complete with mouse-grey Stetson) who was famously handcuffed to Oswald when Jack Ruby shot him.

Turns out Aynesworth, on the staff of the Dallas Morning News at the time, was not on assignment when he was hanging out in Dealey Plaza watching the president's car go by - he was there merely as an interested citizen. When the shots rang out, he found himself without a notebook or anything to write with. Improvising in the tradition of dedicated newshounds, he extracted some unpaid utility bills from a jacket pocket and then grabbed a souvenir flag-equipped pencil from a school kid (turning over a couple quarters in trade) and started interviewing witnesses.

For his part, Buell Frazier expressed his opinion that Lee Oswald was a smart fellow and a fast learner (Frazier trained Oswald on how to fill book orders at the depository), and remembers giving Lee a ride to work on Nov. 22. But he says the package Lee brought with him, which he claimed contained curtain rods, was too small to have hidden the Carcano rifle used to shoot the president.

Jerry Hill described Oswald as a cool and calculated killer, who actually took the time - after firing four shots into DPD Officer J.D. Tippet - to eject the spent cartridge cases and load up new ones before heading off to the Texas Theatre.

Leavelle described how he argued against taking Oswald out through the basement garage (where all the media were gathered) in favor of exiting at street level directly into a waiting car - but he was overruled by department brass who wanted to show everyone that their prisoner had not been mistreated in any way. When he (Leavelle) saw Ruby holding the pistol down along the leg of his trousers, he tried to pull Oswald back out of the line of fire - but it was too late.

A total of 23 awards were handed out, and when it came down to the Katie for Best Website (drum roll), Pegasus News won it. And so did the Dallas Morning News. And so did KERA.

That's right, it was an online news site three-way, with no reference to any sort of tie - just three separate announcements of "Best Website."

Congratulations to those responsible for web operations at the DMN and KERA. We look forward to whipping your butts once and for all next year.

NOTE: I rushed off before photographing our fearless leader, Mike Orren, holding the golden girl - but I'm sure we'll have occasion to fire off a flash or two at Pegnews World HQ on Monday.

Staff
Verified User
Anonymous

Congrats to all of you!!

JW Richard Verified

1 year ago
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Hot DAMN! Congrats and Good On Ya!

You guys have worked your shift keys off this year and I'm glad somebody noticed!

Jason Rice Verified

1 year ago
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Awesome! Did you make them kiss the ring and swear allegiance?

Travis Bush Verified

1 year ago
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I told you last week you guys and gals were good! I am proud to have "the peg" bookmarked.

Russ Vandeveerdonk Verified

1 year ago
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Is Mr. Leavelle STILL claiming he saw Jack Ruby AND his revolver BEFORE Ruby lunged and killed Oswald?!

Anyone with a pair of eyes watching all of the videoclips of Leavelle bringing Oswald out can plainly see that Leavelle NEVER looks in Ruby's direction or at Ruby, until AFTER Ruby lunged and silenced Oswald.

72cuda Anonymous

1 year ago
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Mike and all - that's awesome !! Except for the part about DMN winning too. But the Peg is awesome!

Tracy Yost Verified

1 year ago
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Congrats to all you Peg'ers!

Billusa99 Anonymous

1 year ago
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Gee, I don't know what to say, will this make History in Dallas, A./T... Observer.

alexander troup Verified

1 year ago
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Yay!! To all of you at Pegasus News, a toast, cheers and congratulations! The best karma from Dallas Times Herald alums like me is with you always!

charlotteanne Anonymous

1 year ago
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Here ya go John...and congratulations, team! <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ccuellar/3032979849/" title="Pegasus News wins a Katie by CCwriter, on Flickr"><img alt="Pegasus News wins a Katie" height="375" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3245/3032979849_6ff4bf0c1d.jpg" width="500"></a>

Catherine Cuellar Verified

1 year ago
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Thanks, Catherine! It was great to see you at the awards show. Good luck with your marathon Monday road trip!

John Meyer Staff

1 year ago
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Congratulations Pegasusnews! You are terrific!

sanri56 Anonymous

1 year ago
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Wow, sounds like a time! I'm sorry, but PN pwnz DMN's site, honestly. Congratulations to Mike and his entire dedicated staff! You guys/gals earned it!!!!

ch0 Anonymous

1 year ago
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YAAAYYY Catherine!

Did they know about the annoying drop down thing?

DC Anonymous

1 year ago
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Hey, that top part is friccin cool...

ch0 Anonymous

1 year ago
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Congratulations!!!

hoganshero Anonymous

1 year ago
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'grats Miko & company.

Does this mean you're going to update your banners with credentials?

Scott Doyle Verified

1 year ago
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Wow - An award AND a three way all in one night...Well done!

jtmbls Anonymous

1 year ago
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HOGAN, your standing to close to the bobwire, while it is time to realize for 2008.....this is the pulp of the press in terms of T.V Internet Recoginition........

alexander troup Verified

1 year ago
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Some additional info:

First, congrats to all the Friends o' Pegasus who were honored:

<a href="http://www.pegasusnews.com/users/Rawlins/">Rawlins Gilliland</a> won second place in Large newspaper column writing for "Think Disaster Can't Happen to You?" (Unfortunately, can't find the link on dallasnews.com)

Former PegNews ME and our hostess for the evening (thanks!) <a href="http://www.pegasusnews.com/users/ccuellar/">Catherine Cuellar</a> took third in the same category for "The Man of Your Reality: Why Stress About a Mate When You Can Enjoy Life?" (Again, no DMN link available)

John Wright from content partner Dallas Voice won best medium and small market column writing for <a href="http://www.dallasvoice.com/artman/publish/article_7530.php">"Purity Sieges Lead Gay Man into Bi-Polar Hell."</a>

And our pal <a href="http://www.pegasusnews.com/users/Scott/">Scott</a> got an honorable mention in the Best Blog category for DallasFood.org.

<hr>

As to the matter of the three winners for best website, here's what the judges said:

"This field is almost impossible to judge. There is a vast discrepancy in the amount of resources behind each entry. On top of that, these websites set out to do different things. We award two additional Katies here because of standout designations for innovative work"

Judges' comments on the winners:

First place: <a href="http://dallasnews.com">The Dallas Morning News</a>. Arguably the most comprehensive website serving Texas, the DMN has more content, more audience participation and more great multi-media than any of the other entries.

First place: <a href="http://www.artandseek.org/">Art & Seek</a>. A beautiful and clean design and great functionality (it works every way you slice it), this website sorts and steers its users to all things cultural.

First place: <a href="http://pegasusnews.com">Pegasus News</a>. Customizable, wow. Another great website, clearly built with the user in mind. Great engineering behind this site and the content is delivered in a neat, tidy package.

<hr>

I suspect (and hope) that we'll see a revamp of the categories next year. Beyond the apparent need for more web categories, I'd like to see online-only eligible for the various writing and reporting categories. I happened to be at the Poynter Institute last week and me a couple of the judges who told me that they'd recommended the same to the Press Club when handing back the results.

I'm pleased as punch that we won something though, especially as we're still a digital youngun. We couldn't have done that without our beyond-dedicated staff, our <a href="http://www.pegasusnews.com/content-partner/">content partners</a> and our user community. Thanks!

<hr>

Mike Orren Staff

1 year ago
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And now the award's come out.....

alexander troup Verified

1 year ago
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Miko, I strongly encourage a category for baiting in comments. Or at the very least, most useless banter in comments. I trust you'll throw your award-winning weight around to get it done.

Scott Doyle Verified

1 year ago
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Scott, you're not angling for a trophy to put in your office are you?

Gwen DuVal Staff

1 year ago
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This, once again, proves I have excellent taste.

Cheers!

(Now back to puppy cam.)

Lisa Lawrence Merritt Verified

1 year ago
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Strictly for the good of the community, Gwen. I'd never be so selfish...

Scott Doyle Verified

1 year ago
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Mike, I have in my possession a couple of 2007 Pegasusnews Pick stickers I would be willing to donate as awards if you want to set up this up.

Gwen DuVal Staff

1 year ago
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Postscripts: Above pictured Orren won the newly created poll as 'most slimmed down online publisher'. Reportedly his publicist was heard saying that the reason Orren would not smile for the camera was because his front tooth was missing after a prior night's parking lot brawl (at what was described by annonymous sources as a tawdry bar called 'The Busty Corpse'.) Cuellar, however, was smiling and speechless upon learning that she had won an informal hands-down poll for 'most radiant and dewy fashion icon goddess on or off line.'