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Tags: 2007 Jaunted Travel Awards / Travel Media / New York Times / T Magazine / Sophistonauts / → All Tags

2007 Awards: Worst Travel Media Moment

Oh, there are just so many! But we have to give this year's award to the New York Times, which also takes an honorable mention.

The worst story of the year was "Colombian Gold in Cartagena", from the NYT's T Magazine. Basically, the story goes, the city has plenty happening besides coke-fueled parties. So why the constant discussion of drugs, the cocaine-focused rhetoric of a government official and the interviews with "sophistonauts" who get wasted, dance all night and recover on the beach? With airlines competing to expand service to the country, and a tourism boom brewing, Colombia deserves so much more than this.

Running close behind "Colombian Gold" was "Attracted by a Blend of Centuries and Cultures" from the NYT's travel section. It's not that Jeff Koyen did a bad job on the story about Grenada, Nicaragua. It's just that we'd read it all before. How can the Times avoid this prize again next year? Less coverage of phony trends and more Matt Gross!