With this past weekend marking either our entry into the 4th year of the war or the war's 3rd anniversary (depending on which spin you prefer), it's time to honor our online information sources for achievement in ushering in/looking back on the event.
In my opinion, the winner of the (A Very) Special Report award goes to MSNBC.com for its Invasion Iraq: Three Years Later. Congratulations, MSNBC.com, for your energetic use of multimedia and interactive features - like memories, they light the corners of our minds. Taking a page from the "This is Your Life" handbook, MSNBC.com helps us relive all the crazy ups and downs from the last 3 years. There's Do You Remember, a video slideshow of some of our favorite moments from the war ("'Shock and awe.' 'Nasiriyah.' 'The deck of cards.' 'Embeds'...Three years later, take a look back at the events and images headed to the history books."). The nostalgic Where are They Now feature brings back old friends, like Jessica Lynch and Chemical Ali. We laugh (check out the cartoon gallery), we cry, we can even take a quiz. MSNBC.com, you card. I can't believe you set this all up for little old me.
Runner-up CNN.com's submission, Iraq: Transition of Power was a bit disappointing. With its dogged "keep on keepin' on" mentality, this Special Report has fallen into a slump. It failed to create a new (very) special section for the entry/anniversary and it presented a lackluster attempt to emphasize the event. With too sober a focus on U.S. casualties and pending civil war, it certainly lacks the panache of the MSNBC.com section. CNN.com, cut your losses and dump the "transition" gambit - it's a sinkhole and it ain't any fun. However, kudos to sister publication Time.com for its Was it Worth It? article. We can't give any awards (no special report), but we like the blunt hubris of this question. Time.com, maybe you can inject some spark into your spiritless sibling.
The New York Times once again disdained to enter our competition; it sits at home listening to Elliot Smith while the rest of the country is slow dancing to Michael Bolton and making the most of the experience. Its Special Report, Iraq, Afghanistan & The Reach of War, is all news and no nostalgia. NYTimes.com clearly lacks the delicate touch necessary to play on the heartstrings of the country. FoxNews.com also failed to enter. We always enjoy the pinball machine atmosphere of the site, but the lack of a cohesive anniversary/entry section with lots of bells and whistles was a letdown. However, "E" for Effort on the Iraq: Three Years Later media forum, discussing how well the media have covered the war. Glad to see you haven't totally lost your touch.
Our award for Best Foreign Special Section goes out to Al Jazeera's English language website, for its simple but informative presentation of Iraq 3 Years On. Features like the Iraqi voices are nice touches, but captions like "The downfall of Saddam but not the end of conflict" (juxtaposed on a picture of a soldier wrapping a Saddam statue in the American flag) lack the triumphalism and distance of a true anniversary site. And a Timeline isn't even worth the effort if it's not an audio-visual extravaganza.
A special award (handed out at a luncheon before tonight's ceremony) was presented to WhiteHouse.gov. for Best Spin (once again). Congratulations, WhiteHouse.gov for your brave refusal to label this conflict a "war." Please, join me in honoring WhiteHouse.gov for its resolute presentation of President Remarks on Third Anniversary of Beginning of Iraq Liberation.
