The 2009 Bloodshot Eyeball Award for Best New Media Interaction By a Beat Writer Goes To...

"Bloggers!" When written that way in the discussion fora of sportsjournalists.com, it is with disdain and sarcasm because the mainstream sportswriters that live on that site, using anonymous, anti-social, and cowardly behavior by hiding behind fake screen names that they blast bloggers for doing, express hatred and disdain for bloggers. But there is one BCS school beat writer that not only blogs for his employer(s), but he is not afraid to include links and shout-outs to non-mainstream media bloggers in his posts. He is not afraid of this brave new world in sports journalism.

So it is with great pleasure to present the 2009 Bloodshot Eyeball Award for Best New Media Interaction By a Beat Writer goes to...

David Hale of the Macon Telegraph and Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.

Of course I am not sure if this should be two awards or one trophy split in half because the two newspapers require him to post the identical content on two separate blogs (dawg-extra and UGA Dogs Blog), which is just plain silly.








New Media Street Cred: Georgia Sports beat writer and blogger David Hale (left) interviews ESPN College Gameday analyst Desmond Howard on the University of Georgia campus in September 2008.

Rather than waxing on about why David was singled out for this honor, take a look at this excerpt about David from DawgSports.com:

There are guys who get it and guys who don’t. Being a professional journalist doesn’t put you in the latter category, as David Hale demonstrates on a daily basis. There are self-appointed experts who make outrageous statements for their shock value and there are folks who try to be reasonable, right, and sincere as often as human frailty allows.

Some of the reasonable ones, like David Hale, are full-time beat reporters; some of the reasonable ones, like the folks in "The Dawgosphere" with whom you are familiar, have unrelated day jobs and a dedication that heartfelt fandom has produced. Those of us in the latter category are proud to call the fellows in the former category our colleagues.

Congratulations David!