By Logan Andrew, FreeWire
Well folks, it finally happened. Journalism made a comeback — and still managed to lose.
In a Kentucky Derby that felt like it was written by a poetic political cartoonist with a grudge, the horse named Sovereignty took first place, narrowly edging out Journalism, while Baeza came charging in third with Gambit finishing fourth.
That’s right: Sovereignty beat Journalism.
And somewhere, a conspiracy theorist just fainted from excitement.
Many in the press were rooting hard for the aptly named contender Journalism to make a triumphant run and symbolically remind the world that facts still matter. Instead, the 3-year-old colt lived up to its namesake by showing promise, running hard, almost winning — and then falling just short when it mattered most.
In other words, it was a very accurate portrayal.
Trainer Michael McCarthy (probably) gave a post-race comment that sounded suspiciously like a newsroom pitch meeting: “He ran with heart, he showed up, he just didn’t have the funding in the final stretch.”
The win by Sovereignty, of course, led many to declare that “freedom still reigns” — though whether that’s freedom of the press or freedom from it depends on who you ask.
Meanwhile, Publisher didn’t even show up, once again ghosting Journalism when it needed support most.
We reached out to Publisher’s reps for comment, but they had already laid off the spokesperson.
No word yet on whether Journalism will bounce back in the Preakness, but insiders say morale is high. “It’s not about the win,” one unnamed reporter said. “It’s about staying in the race. Until the hedge funds glue our hooves to the ground.”
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