Techdirt’s weekly reader-comment awards put one commenter, Thad, at the top of both of its main categories, giving him first place for an “insightful” comment and first place for a funny one.
The roundup is a small ritual, but it also works as a map of what animated Techdirt’s comment section for the week: Donald Trump’s legal fights, election-fraud claims, J.K. Rowling’s dispute with Amnesty International, and the lawyers and law firms circling those stories.
Insightful winners
Techdirt said Thad won first place in the insightful category for a short reaction to the site’s coverage of a federal judge rejecting Trump’s IRS settlement and referring lawyers to bar authorities. His comment welcomed the bar referrals.
Second place went to Techdirt commenter Stephen T. Stone for a response to coverage of J.K. Rowling threatening to sue Amnesty International over an opinion about a charity she funds. Techdirt characterized Stone’s comment as an argument that anti-trans hatred consumes a person’s identity and turns into cowardice toward trans people who live openly in their bodies.
For editor’s choice in the insightful category, Techdirt selected two anonymous comments. One responded to a discussion about why China would not want to support Trump, saying China could see Trump’s instability and unpredictability as damaging worldwide even if it created room for China to gain global influence.
The other editor’s choice highlighted an anonymous commenter who invoked Winston Churchill after Techdirt covered law firms that made deals to avoid fighting Trump and then ended up clashing with him over those same deals. The commenter quoted Churchill’s warning to Neville Chamberlain about choosing dishonor and still getting war.
Funny winners
Techdirt said the funny category was quieter than usual, so it skipped editor’s-choice picks and named only the top two vote-getters.
Thad took first place there as well, this time for a comment on Trump’s election-fraud claims. The joke pointed to Fox News’ caution around repeating those claims and tied that caution to the network’s $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems.
Second place in the funny category went to an anonymous commenter on Techdirt’s coverage of Trump’s conflicts with law firms. The commenter turned “MAGA” into a joke about lawyers needing their own lawyers.
The winning comments linked back to Techdirt discussions published between July 14 and July 17, including posts on the IRS settlement, Rowling and Amnesty International, Trump-related election documents, and law firms that cut deals in an attempt to avoid a fight with Trump.
This story draws on original reporting from Techdirt.
