MRC annual Dinner award Maher & Matthews Dishonor awards

(CNSNews.com) – Political commentator and TV host Bill Maher won “Quote of the Year” at the Media Research Center’s annual Dishonors Awards for his remarks about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin during the 2008 presidential campaign.

Maher – on HBO’s “Real Time” in September 2008-- questioned whether Palin’s infant son Trig was her child or that of her teenage daughter, Bristol.

“I’m not that convinced that that’s her baby,” Maher said. “It’s not like they’re not willing to lie about everything else

The group held a mock awards show, “roasting the most outrageously biased liberal reporting of the year” by giving “dishonor” awards to things like the “Obamagasm” of the year for the greatest example of the news media’s passion for the new president.

“We are here to love them [the news media] as much as they love us,” said L. Brent Bozell III, the night’s master of ceremonies. “When covering the White House, reporters ought not need kneepads.”

The group gave Matthews the “Media Messiah” award for his infamous quote ("I felt this thrill going up my leg" when Obama spoke), and gave CNN founder Ted Turner the “Dan Rather Memorial Award for Stupidest Analysis” for his comment on PBS’s “The Charlie Rose Show,” when he said that global warming will cause mass death and cannibalism.

The attendees -- from radio personalities such as Mark Levin to former U.S. Attorney General Ed Meese to Joe the Plumber to Fox News' Brit Hume -- were not especially in the mood to fret over the political sensibilities of a rock star. They were there to start the crowd up, and it worked.

"Ever heard of Newsweek?" Mr. Levin asked. "It's a magazine that was popular about 30 years ago. It's sort of like Pravda with photos."