And the winners are

Each year the New Zealand Skeptics bestows the Bent Spoon Award for the New Zealand organisation which has shown the most egregious lack of critical thinking in public coverage of, or commentary on, a science-related issue.

This year the award goes to the Hamilton City Council for their decision not to assess the scientific evidence on the merits of water fluoridation and instead to cave in to a well-choreographed campaign by a small pressure group calling for the removal of fluoride from the city's water supply. This was despite a 2006 referendum in which citizens decisively supported continuation of fluoridation.

The Bravos

The New Zealand Skeptics also recognise those who have provided food for thought, critical analysis and important information on topics of relevance to our interests. There were two winners this year.

Shelley Bridgeman (NZ Herald) for two articles:

• Can we communicate with dead people? (12 March), in which Ms Bridgeman takes on the mediumship industry, from Woman's Day to Sensing Murder, pointing out their use of Barnum Statements, lack of successful hits and their prevailing lack of ethics generally.
• Is homeopathy a sham? (2 May), pointing out the implausibility of homeopathy and questioning its place in our pharmacies and tertiary institutions.

Darcy Cowan (SciBlogs), for getting the Immunisation Awareness Society's status corrected within the Charities Register (Skeptic 106).