'Walk Toward The Fire': Andrew Breitbart Award Ceremony Remembers 'Happy Warrior'

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Conservative media and movement leaders remembered the fighting spirit of Andrew Breitbart Tuesday night at the Franklin Center and Heritage Foundation “Future of Media Summit” at the Newseum on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Three awards named for Andrew Breitbart were presented to conservative bloggers and media leaders. Charlie Hurt, an editor of the Drudge Report and Washington Times and Breitbart News columnist, was presented with the Professional Media Figure Andrew Breitbart Award. Jon Fleischmann, the editor of California’s Flash Report and a Breitbart California editor, was presented with the Andrew Breitbart Award for Excellence in Blogging. Mark Nugent of Red Maryland, who also is the state coordinator of Franklin Center in Maryland, received the Andrew Breitbart Citizen Journalism Award.

Fox News Channel’s Greg Gutfeld, who delivered the keynote address at the event, noted that Andrew Breitbart stepped forward as a national media leader because there was a need for someone to break through the media class that was not “screwing over each other” anymore but instead “screwing each other.”

“What happens, then? You get a Breitbart. An explosion of hilarious outrage,” Gutfeld said. “That’s what Andrew Breitbart did. He went out and he spoke to the people as opposed to his peers in the media.”

Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow presented Hurt his award. “Andrew always enjoyed a good party, so it’s up to you to have as good a time as possible,” Marlow said, adding that otherwise “we’re not really honoring him.”

When receiving the award, Hurt noted that he was honored to receive an award named for “such an ordinary original.” He recounted how Andrew earned the nickname “Happy Warrior.”

“Conservatives have taken math classes and taken history classes,” Hurt said. “They see which way this is moving toward and there’s a lot to be depressed about. The thing that I always loved the most about Andrew whether he was confronting an angry mob or some lunatic with a bullhorn was that even though he inspired a lot of hatred, it was always clear where the hatred was coming from and it was never coming from him. He was truly a happy warrior and I can’t think of a better, higher compliment to pay him than to say that.”

The Franklin Center’s Erik Telford presented Nugent with his award, while the Heritage Foundation’s Rob Bluey delivered Fleischmann’s to him.

When Fleischmann received his award, he went to the podium to read out a quote from Andrew Breitbart: “Walk towards the fire, don’t worry about what they call you. All of those things are said because they want to stop you in your tracks. But if you keep going, you’re sending a message to people who are rooting for you, who are agreeing with you. The message is that they can do it.”