Rosebud Winners: Three News Breakers on the Unraveling of Platner’s Candidacy

JULY 2026 - Three pieces this month - first by Politico, then by the NYT and the WSJ - were out front on the revelation that Maine Senate Candidate Graham Platner allegedly sexually assaulted a friend five years ago. The Politico report led the way. On July 6 Jessica Piper and Adam Wren of Politico reached a one-time girlfriend of Platner's who described, on the record, of Platner's private behavior with her. The allegations, deemed credible by many, were enough to derail Platner's once-promising Senate campaign. Piper and Wren achieved timely access, and their report created a surge of media focus, including well-researched follow-ups by the NYT report 2 days later, July 8, and the WSJ July 9. The two subsequent pieces effectively deconstructed what happened - and both concluded that Platner had been poorly vetted. Both articles pointed the finger at two young Democratic political operatives, one aged 27 and another 34, who were enthralled with Platner's authenticity. The WSJ piece of July 9 was sharper-edged than the NYT report in its conclusions about the party's flimsy vetting process. The most recommended reader comments...

Rosebud Winner: Politico Sends (At Least Some) Reporters to NATO Summit

JULY 2026 - Three journalists for Politico - Pentagon beat-reporter Paul McLeary, Victor Jack and White House Correspondent Dasha Burns - teamed up on a quick -turnaround piece last week on the NATO Summit in Turkey. The July 8 news story focused of course on Trump's typically erratic behavior, his contrasting messages in public and in private, and then gave some nice insight on how European NATO members handled him. It's not clear if all three or any of the reporters actually attended the one-day summit, and gossipy Politico doesn't have a reputation for covering much beyond DC. But this piece seems to be an exception. The story of Trump's harsh rhetoric in public and gentle treatment of allies in private, well, it was widely picked up by the rest of the US press. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/08/trump-yelled-at-nato-leaders-in-public-in-private-it-was-a-different-story-00989982

Rosebud Winner: Columnist Megan McArdle Examines the Left’s Misreading on Trans Athletes

JULY 2026 - Politically moderate WaPo columnist Megan McArdle took a look at the recent Supreme Court decision that reaffirmed Trump's 2025 executive order barring trans athletes from competing in women's sports. Basically McArdle devoted the column to a single question: What were die-hard supporters of trans athletes thinking? McArdle's column is one of the few in the mainstream media that has actually addressed the matter at all - most columnists have shunned it, for obvious reasons. Among all the micro-rights that the American Left has preoccupied itself with in recent years, nothing has been as alienating to the broader American electorate than "trans rights." Yes, that offends some true believers who say Lia Thomas had every right to smoke all the female opponents in the UPenn swimming pool. Yet, supporters seemed to ignore the issue's impact on Democrats' competitiveness in national elections - and the party paid a huge price. Historians will look back on the 2024 election cycle - and all Trump's TV ads telling voters the left will force children to have sex-change operation - and conclude that no issue was more powerful in...

Rosebud Winner: Rick Reilly Captures the Ranch-Dressing Flavor of the World Cup

JULY 2026 - Veteran sportswriter Rick Reilly, who in recent years gets his witty prose onto Washington Post screens, wrote a cheerful essay on suddenly being proud of America because - you knew it - the six-week World Cup has actually improved our image not just among global soccer fans - but the rest of the world. "Visitors’ awestruck response to America reminds me, despite Trump, that this country rocks," writes Reilly. That we're-not-so-bad sentiment is widely shared, and one Reilly deserves much credit for reminding us - Ranch Dressing, in its own way, is a rich-tasting metaphor for America. Reilly, who of course spent much of his career at Sports Illustrated, won a Rosebud in 2025. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/07/06/world-cup-fans-ranch-dressing-obsession-stirs-patriotic-feelings/