Literally one of the most demagogic stunts CNN has ever aired, but it had the right politics so naturally it just won a Cronkite Award for “journalism” from USC’s Norman Lear Center.

The full title of the award, by the way, is “The Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism.” The official title of the CNN town hall was “Stand Up: The Students of Stoneman Douglas Demand Action.” It wasn’t journalism and wasn’t even presented as such. It was gun-control advocacy by its own terms.

But again, the correct politics, so: Award-winning.

CNN's Parkland Town Hall has been honored with a @CronkiteAward. Congrats to @jaketapper and team who helped "advance the national conversation on gun control and violence." @LearCenter https://t.co/fAnFnJEnnn — CNN Communications (@CNNPR) March 19, 2019

Mm, yes, “advancing the conversation.” You may remember this as the event at which Parkland student Cameron Kasky stood up and told Marco Rubio to his face that he couldn’t look at him, knowing his support for the NRA, without seeing him behind the barrel of the gun firing at his murdered classmates. (Kasky now regrets some of his rhetoric.) This was also the event at which Sheriff Scott Israel stepped into the role of moral authority to lecture a national audience on gun violence. Israel later lost a no-confidence vote of the local deputies’ union in a landslide partly for his handing of the Parkland shooting; Ron DeSantis went on to suspend him and is now one of the more popular governors in the country because of it.

Dana Loesch was suckered into attending in the belief that this would be some sort of civil moderated discussion about the pros and cons of gun control. As it was, she was jeered for noting that some rape victims wished they had a gun during their attack, had people shout “murderer” at her, and allegedly needed a security detail to exit the event safely. Loesch reminisced about the magical evening she had earlier today on Twitter:

When the producers cued me to walk into the arena it was to the Black Eyed Peas’ song “Let’s Get It Started.” I am completely serious. I was shocked and confused — while I knew I was taking questions, we were only told that day that I would actually be on stage. — Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 19, 2019

I showed up in good faith for genuine conversation knowing that at best, it would be a tough event. The lengths @CNNPR went to inflame emotions & exploit pain to *put on a show* is inexcusable, shameful, & it’s grotesque they’re celebrating getting an “award” for their conduct. — Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 19, 2019

It was embarrassing all the way through, less town hall than mob catharsis, and of course they’re being rewarded for it by industry watchdogs rather than reprimanded. If you wonder why big media is frequently so terrible, this is a small part of the answer: They’re incentivized to be that way by their own gatekeepers.