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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Friday, March 20, 2015

Bottom-Feeding Blogger Gets Keystone Press Award

As most of you know, I'm a bottom-feeding blogger. Disbarred. A low-life alkie. Perpetually broke. Despised by polite society. Fat. A worse dresser than Ron Angle. But the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association has just handed me a major award. As hard as this may be to believe, it's for journalism.

I took first place in the "General News" category in the annual Keystone Press awards for my stories about the Green Pond Marsh, which is slated for development. I also shared in a second place award in the "Ongoing News" category" for my contribution to the coverage of former Bethlehem City Council member Karen Dolan, who resigned in disgrace.

The Bethlehem Press, the weekly for which I write, is in the smallest Division. But it had the most awards in its group. The Morning Call, which is in the largest division, captured three awards. The Express Times, in the second largest division, won three awards.

This will be the third year in a row that I've won an award for journalism.

Something is seriously wrong.

First place winners like me get a concubine for a year.

37 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, Bernie! And that's KDeirdre Dolan to you.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Oops! forgot.

DreamingOfJustice said...

Couldnt happen to a nicer guy!

Every morning I read your blog, Molovinsky's, and for amusement, Lehigh Valley Live.

Anonymous said...

Pissant.

Anonymous said...

Congrats Bernie!

Anonymous said...

"As most of you know, I'm a bottom-feeding blogger. Disbarred. A low-life alkie. Perpetually broke. Despised by polite society. Fat. A worse dresser than Ron Angle."

you forgot flatulent.

Unknown said...

Congratulations!! Read your blog every day. The awards are well deserved!!

Anonymous said...

Well deserved! You point out the flaws we overlook and keep us informed on the backdoor antics of this county. KUDOS!

Jacqueline R. Suarez said...

Congratulations Mr. O'Hare. I read your column every day and thoroughly enjoy it! Well deserved!

Unknown said...

Congrats Bernie......LVR required reading Monday thru Friday.....

Anonymous said...

Yes, congratulations BO! Your blog is opinionated, provocative, but also very revealing. You are a daily watchdog over the frailties and excesses of local government. Don't be surprised if John Brown invites you to a special reception in his office. Complete with armed deputies and Kim from Sahl popping out of a cake.

Anonymous said...

Bernie, this award is well-deserved, and you've earned even more recognition for being one of the only people in the Lehigh Valley area to hold our public official accountable.
You are doing the job the local papers should be doing, but either simply don't care to, or are more interested in pleasing their corporate overlords.
I especially appreciate the work you've done on this Green Pond issue. I believe it has been instrumental in getting more people involved in stopping this horrendous over-development, in an area that is already horrendously over-developed.
Congratulations on this well-earned honor.

Anonymous said...

Critics can say what they want and disparage the award but in reality, you are doing what the ET and MC should do, but do not do very well. Your coverage of local meetings and your occasional criticisms are a necessary part of a free society. I say thank god for bloggers.

VOR

Anonymous said...

Well deserved, Bernie.
Though I think you an asshole on occasion, 99% of the time you have it right.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I am an asshole 100% of the time.

Anonymous said...

Bernie, congratulations, well earned and deserved! Very glad you're watching over these shennanigans.

The Banker

Anonymous said...

Bernie,

Congrats. You do a hell of a job covering local news (most times better then the local media outlets). I don't always agree with you, but those opposing view points always make me think. Keep up the good work!

Hank_Hill

michael molovinsky said...

although i'm a fan of this blog, some back to earth rain must be poured on this parade. bernie received an award for his articles in the bethlehem press, in the division for that size publication. nobody gives such award or recognition to blogs per se, on the contrary. although the msm harvests ideas from blogs, attribution is seldom given.

Anonymous said...

What, no money? What kind of award is that?

Bernie O'Hare said...

The concubine would just spend it.

Bernie O'Hare said...

" nobody gives such award or recognition to blogs per se,"

... as well they shouldn't. You know what kind of people pen blogs.

Anonymous said...


You left out this noun/adjective in your self description.

piss·ant

noun

1. an insignificant or contemptible person or thing.

adjective

2. worthless; contemptible.

Bernie O'Hare said...

If you are obsessed with someone you call insignificant, then what does that say about you?

Scott Culpepper said...

Congratulations Bernie.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations!

Your prize is a free Rita's Italian Ice, but you must claim it today.

Ovem Lupo Commitere said...

congrats Bernie,

I can recall the days when municipal meetings regularly had a reporter from the Call, Express, and the then new Bethlehem Press, and even the online Patch..... now, sadly (but commendably!!) you are the only consistent one shining the light. And, as we've seen on a few stories, the "larger" press picked up on stories you first broke.

The importance of the "freedom of the press" to democracy is only as valuable as it is exercised. In the small fishbowl of Northampton County and municipal governments, you are a great service! Again, thanks!

Celtic Warrior said...

You only won because the WEFP has been down for a while, your blog is a waste of space.

Anonymous said...

You're a good writer and reporter. Nice work, Bernie.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I thank you and so does my concubine.

Anonymous said...

Bernie, congratulations. You are a throwback to a time when writers weren't married to advertisers and were free to practice something called investigative journalism. Thought provoking, reactions good and bad, the true goal of any worthy newsman. You can take a punch, get off the canvass, and keep punching. Let me fill you in on something...I am a Journalism major circa Temple 1988. Keep punching my friend...Tom Davis

Bernie O'Hare said...

Tom, I knew it! I suspected you were a writer and now we know. Thanks very much for the kind words.

Matt M. said...

Kudos to you. We don't always see eye to eye, but you can always be counted on to find the story and break it. Congrats on the well-earned award.

Anonymous said...

Congrats, BO!

- Alfonso Todd

Pipeline Guy said...

Your coverage of the Dolan saga was outstanding, you had the balls to report what I feel the ET and MCall were hesitant to do. Thanks for the strong role you played in exposing her and running that clown out of town!

Whethervain said...

Kudos Bernie! So much is invested here by you for everyone's benefit. There's only one thing more that you could do to perfect this blog...ADD THE DAMN DATE STAMP - not just the time - to each post like MM does. That way, everyone can observe how some people stew-in-their-juices in some of your long-running threads.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I have to figure out how to do that.

Anonymous said...

You are great Bernie, but what the hell is a concubiine¿ Is that a SHIM undercover, cause in the valley there are not many with there sack intact¿