The fifth annual Shorty Awards, held Monday night in New York City’s TimesCenter, honored “the best in social media,” including categories related to journalism.
CNN Worldwide won for its self-congratulatory “Election 2012: CNN Worldwide Won the Social Media Battle.” CNN personality Wolf Blitzer also made an appearance in a pre-taped segment.
And there was the Shorty for best #Journalist. Previous winners have included William Bonner, Rachel Maddow, West Wing Report, and Andy Carvin. This year, there were six finalists, selected based on the number of tweet “votes” they received: Ben Swann (who recently announced that he was leaving Cincinnati’s Fox 19 for “other opportunities”), Amber Lyon, Tim Pool, Kate Russell, Carol Rosenberg, and Matthew Keys (whom the Justice Department recently announced was being indicted). I was hoping to see Keys there, but it was not to be.
Pool, the winner, was the only one of the #Journalist nominees I saw at the ceremony (Russell was also there, gracious in defeat, tweeting photos of herself with Pool and his award). He accepted his award wearing his trademark gray t-shirt and black wool hat, making sure to Vine the process. Perhaps an early contender for next year’s #Vine category?
Sara Morrison is a former assistant editor at CJR. Follow her on Twitter @saramorrison.