Regardless of what the Soccer Blogger who won the best resource blog says; I was pleasantly surprised that the Branson Edge won the "Best News Blog of the Year" award. After winning I questioned the integrity of the tallying methods used to count the vote. Personally, I thought KY3's political blog by David Catonese is an excellent blog who a jury of my blogging peers would elect. In a display of political prowess I led a smear campaign against traditional media bloggers which paid off well. I felt a little guilty about this and see my conquest as a demonstration about why Internet campaign guidelines are a good idea as the Internet has moved from an underground to a mainstream medium. An equal honor was the recognition given by John Logan. As I scoop Taney County it's unusual that I don't see a picture drawn by Logan somewhere on my daily route. One cartoon that stands out in my mind is the Police Commissioner caricature posted in the Branson prosecutor's office. Though the Branson police commissioner's days have past his Logan caricature lives on. Thank you John.
An overwhelming majority of the pictures, video and intel you see posted on this blog are from countless hours on the beat in an attempt to understand my community. There have been times when my shoes have been worn to holes and the expense of investigating what happens in Branson seems too great a task. This was a real boost and though the ego-payment is nice it's a sign that my career goals to be a solid source of news will be met. This year I hope to engage new talent and create a couple of websites that harness other sources of media talent. Lastly, those that have called me believing I could help, those that handed me scoops and the government entities that have welcomed and supported my endeavors are the reasons, if any, that the Branson Edge is worthy of this reward.
