When the British Press Awards withdrew the category for online journalism two years ago, we felt that it showed a real lack of foresight and understanding of how the internet is critical for the future of the news. It was also a failure to encourage and reward excellent work in the online news industry.

Any publisher who hasn't grasped that yet may as well give up now.

And that's really our main bugbear with the British Press Awards - no category for online journalism. It's not just us that think that, by the way. Despite widespread opposition it's unlikely that an online award will be added while editors are moaning that there are too many categories.

In addition, it would seem there have been rumblings for a few years about the state of the awards. Bob Geldof's rant was the last straw.

A comment on the Guardian site suggested that televising the event might help to rein in any inappropriate behaviour. Maybe. But wasn't it TV presenter (and former hack) Jeremy Clarkson that caused the fracas last year by punching Piers Morgan?

Some recent fallout:

"Getting 11 editors from five different groups in any kind of agreement demonstrates the level of disgust. All were upset at the catalogue of appalling behaviour last Tuesday."
Roy Greenslade in the Guardian

"Too much booze. Too much tribal bawling. Too much red-top whooping as this or that Shag of the Year got its bauble."
Peter Preston in the Guardian

"It is surely clear that Press Gazette has lost the plot, and is no longer capable of organising an event that does not drag our trade through the mud."
Stephen Glover in the Independent

More news from dotJournalism:
Top prize-giver snubs online journalism
'Myopic' press awards neglect UK web journalists
British broadsheet site scoops more awards

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