The Media Research Center thinks of its Bulldog Awards as its version of the Pulitzer Prize for its favorite right-wingers. Thus, this year’s Bulldog PR campaign began with whining about the Pulitzers in a May 4 post by Curtis Houck:
The 2026 Pulitzer Prizes were awarded Monday afternoon and, after a four-year hiatus of holding a sitting president to account, they climbed back aboard their high horses to dole out seven prizes for Trump-bashing “journalism” to the Associated Press, the Chicago Tribune, the Miami Herald, The New York Times, Reuters, and The Washington Post.
Come Tuesday morning, the Media Research Center will present the fifth annual Bulldog Awards, spotlighting outstanding achievements in conservative media across eight categories (Behind Enemy Lines, Columnist, Investigative Reporting, Podcast, Reporting, Social Media Personality, Talk Radio Host, and Lifetime Achievement) to honor those Pulitzer committee would never consider.
Back on the left, though, the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service — considered the most prestigious category — went to The Washington Post for stories that, as stated by administrator Marjorie Miller, “pierc[ed] the veil of secrecy around the Trump administration’s chaotic overhaul of federal agencies and chronicl[ed] in rich detail the human impacts of the cuts and the consequences for the country.”
The other finalists were the “Chicago Tribune for its powerful coverage of the Trump administration’s militarized immigration sweep of the city,” and The Wall Street Journal for its smarmy stories ghoulishly insinuating Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump were close, close friends.
The Investigative Reporting award went to The Times — beating out the San Francisco Chronicle on psych wards and ProPublica on generic drugs — for “deeply reported stories that exposed how President Trump has shattered constraints on conflicts of interest and exploited the moneymaking opportunities that come with power, enriching his family and allies.”
In terms of public impact, our 2026 MRC Bulldog Award winner for Outstanding Investigative Reporting runs circles around The Times’s partisan drivel.
Well, no — because the Bulldog Awards focuses only on right-wing media and those who peddle right-wing narratives, it’s even more partisan drivel than the Pulitzers could ever dream of being.
The next day, the MRC made the big announcement of its own awards in an anonymously written post:
With our fifth annual Bulldog Awards in eight categories announced today, the Media Research Center is honoring conservatives in the media who truly deserve accolades yet will never receive them from the elitist news media establishment.
The winners of the MRC’s 2026 Bulldog Awards: Patrick J. Buchanan, Dana Loesch, Douglas Murray, Stephen L. Miller, Nick Minock, Shermichael Singleton, Jennie Taer and the Morning Wire podcast.
The biggest journalism awards, the Pulitzer Prizes, were announced on Monday, May 4. As usual, they honored journalists who pushed liberal agenda topics. (See the bottom of this post for some examples.)
“This year’s Media Research Center Bulldog Award winners stand in stark contrast to the elitist media’s herd mentality,” said MRC President David Bozell. “These courageous journalists refuse to follow the pack, choosing instead to deliver truth over narrative, facts over favoritism, and accountability over activism. They represent the best of American journalism — independent, fearless, and committed to informing the public rather than manipulating it.”
And the winners are:
- 2026 MRC Bulldog Award for Lifetime Achievement: Patrick J. Buchanan
- 2026 MRC Bulldog Award for Outstanding Radio Talk Show Host: Dana Loesch
- 2026 MRC Bulldog Award for Outstanding Columnist: Douglas Murray
- 2026 MRC Bulldog Award for Outstanding Social Media Personality: Stephen L. Miller
- 2026 MRC Bulldog Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalist: Nick Minock
- 2026 MRC Bulldog Award for Outstanding Achievement Behind Enemy Lines: Shermichael Singleton
- 2026 MRC Bulldog Award for Outstanding Reporter: Jennie Taer
- 2026 MRC Bulldog Award for Outstanding Podcast: Morning Wire
Needless to say, the MRC ignored certain problematic aspects of its winners. The post gushed that “Buchanan became the voice for conservative cultural values, earning the respect and admiration of conservatives and the working class who felt under assault by the liberal elites” — but didn’t mention his history of anti-Semitism and support for mass murderers. It also hyped that Loesch’s “Christian perspective and strong advocacy for the Second Amendment resonate with Americans across the country” — but omitted when it didn’t, most notoriously as the public face of the short-lived NRA TV, where she did things like putting Klan hoods on “Thomas the Tank Engine” characters in a misguided effort to criticize diversity efforts.
Later that day, Tim Graham had Singleton on his podcast, and the award was tgven to him personally: “MRC President David Bozell was on hand to give Singleton his Award, and NewsBusters Associate Editor Nick Fondacaro joined as well. The first question for a conservative appearing regularly on CNN is: How do you keep your cool? In moments where people can’t stand a reference to ‘boys in girls’ sports,’ for example.”
The MRC’s nepo-baby leader then ran to a right-wing radio show to plug the awards:
Media Research Center President David Bozell took to WMAL’s The Chris Plante Show – which is carried across the nation – today to officially announce the 2026 MRC Bulldog Award winners, spotlighting journalists and commentators who challenge the dominant liberal media narrative and elevate conservative voices across the country.
Bozell framed the Bulldog Awards as a necessary counterweight to the Pulitzer Prizes, arguing that the elite media routinely overlook or dismiss the conservative media ecosystem. Instead of rewarding what he described as “elitist media groupthink,” the Bulldogs recognize those “doing the right things the right way” in news, commentary, and analysis.
Bozell didn’t disclose that right-wing ideology is a key part of those awards. He also appeared on Loesch’s show to praise her:
In remarks on The Dana Show Tuesday with host Dana Loesch, Media Research Center (MRC) President David Bozell announced the MRC had honored Loesch with its 2026 Bulldog Award for Outstanding Radio Talk Show Host, praising her as “principled” and someone who “brings receipts.” He credited her consistency, saying, “She brings it every single day,” calling her “a terrific host” with nationwide syndication.
Bozell said the recognition fits within the broader mission of the MRC’s Bulldog Awards, which are designed to highlight journalists and commentators who challenge what he sees as dominant narratives in elitist media. He argued that traditional awards like the Pulitzer Prize too often reward coverage that reflects ideological bias, most recently The Washington Post’s reporting on government spending and reform efforts.
No mention of the ideological bias in the Bulldog Awards. Instead, it was noted that “Bozell concluded that the Bulldog Awards exist to recognize alternative reporting and to encourage greater balance, accountability, and independence in journalism” — as if right-wing ideology was the same as “independence” and refusal to cover their own side critically is “accountability.”