and the winner is...

With print’s business model eroding, can journalists make the move online without sacrificing quality or originality? Fortunately, some already have. Last week, we ran a poll of some of the contenders for Top Site of 2009: Politico topped our editorial list. Find out why, and see the runners-up, after the jump:

Since 1975, Lake Superior State University has published an annual list of banished words for the coming new year entitled “List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness,” which is a bit wordy if you ask me. But it is quite funny! And boy does it ever apply to Mediaite and the media at large.

poll

Last week, Mediaite asked you who was the top online editor of 2009. This time around, we’re recognizing sites which are too vast and ambitious in scope to describe in terms of the work of just one editor. You know the drill, loyal, smart, and attractive readers: below is a list of our nominees for the top site of 2009, including The Business Insider, Ars Technica, and Talking Points Memo. Vote for your favorite, or leave any deserving candidates you think we left out in the comments:

Last week, we wrote about Glenn Beck 1990, the Fark-spawned project to spread the meme of asking if Beck “raped and murdered a young girl in 1990.” This site has emerged as its hub. Well, Beck’s lawyers heard about it too, and are muscling in on it — but is that a good idea?