Matt Drudge likes to think of himself as a journalist. Anyone who has visited his web site, The Drudge Report, knows that the site is essentially a collection of links to other sites and the occasional bit of “reporting” by Matt Drudge.
Not that Matt Drudge actually has any education or training as a journalist. The closest Drudge came to the media was managing a CBS gift shop.
In 1995 the earliest version of The Drudge Report debuted, as an e-mail newsletter.
The Drudge Report web site was launched in 1997, and one of Drudge’s earliest scoops was the revelation by Kathleen Willey that Bill Clinton had “sexually propositioned” her on federal property, according to the August 18, 1997 issue of Newsweek. Drudge often reports what he hears without verifying the source. “I have no editor,” Drudge told Newsweek. “I can say whatever I want.”
Drudge does get the occasional exclusive, but more often than not, he’s essentially a dumpster diver of Internet news, looking for scraps that legitimate news outlets have thrown away, or relying on unverified e-mailed tips from readers.
What propelled Matt Drudge into the national spotlight was his “exclusive” report on Monica Lewinsky’s affair with Bill Clinton. Michael Isikoff of Newsweek did the actual reporting of the Lewinsky/Clinton affair, but when Newsweek decided to can the story, Drudge took Isikoff’s material and ran with it as a Drudge Report "exclusive."
Drudge specializes in the sensational, throwing out bits of real news mixed in with gossip and innuendo. And people listen. Drudge’s web site gets millions of hits a day. Drudge favors the conservative point of view, so right-wingers can count on Drudge to pass along stories about Democrats that put them in a negative light.
For instance, during the 2000 presidential campaign, the following headlines appeared on The Drudge Report about Al Gore:
Article comments
1 - RJ
Sooo...Drudge is essentially a conservative blogger.
This is news?
2 - Al Barger
Not to put too fine a point on it, but boo hoo. Drudge slaps around every Democrat in sight.
In practice, Drudge links plenty of stuff unfavorable to Republicans as well. Maybe Democrats just do more overtly stupid crap to draw to his taste for cheesy humor.
The Kerry/Edwards touchy-feely stuff was perfectly fair game. If they're running for the top two jobs in the country, and they're this ham handed in their pr calculations, then they deserve to get it stuck up their asses.
3 - Scott C. Smith
It's curious that the fact that Drudge has been so wildly inaccurate doesn't stop right-wingers from quoting him as a genuine news source. Can't let facts get in the way of a juicy bit of gossip.
4 - Bryan
Drudge did more for blogging than anyone could imagine...
Bloggers aren't right, either, all the time. News reporters have politicals beliefs as well as bloggers...the magic of the net revolution is that you can GET those points of view, unabashed, in ways you never could before...
There are millions of voices in a sea of blogs...too many to count, too many to read...
Drudge began all of that. From a one room apartment...
it's interesting that he's slammed so much...for each time he is, get gets more popular.
Every time it seems as though he's dying out, something in the world happens, and a HUGE number of people turn to HIS site of all things to read about it...
Almost the entire net world knows that when the siren is up, something big is happening....
I can put aside his Republican flavor in my mind, b/c his page is addictive and exciting....
http://www.schmuckraker.com/
5 - Temple Stark
9-11 was the watershed moment for blogosphere more than anything else.
6 - Natalie Davis
"Drudge did more for blogging than anyone could imagine..."
Can't stand Drudge one bit, but this statement is true (for good and for ill).
7 - Al Barger
Also Scott, I don't see where Drudge has been wrong that often. He jumps the gun once in a while and a story doesn't pan out, but he's always honest. He's NEVER EVER had anything like Dan Rather's lying Memogate.
As far as honesty and integrity, I'll put more stock in Drudge than CBS News or the NYT at this point.
8 - Scott C. Smith
Comment #7:
"He jumps the gun once in a while and a story doesn't pan out..."
A man who is willing to post something as truth -- and judging from the comments, most of you accept Drudge at face value -- without the benefit of actual research and fact checking is not only dishonest but unethical. Drudge has nothing but disdain for bloggers, so it's amusing to read comments comparing him to one.
But hey, if you lot are willing to be snookered by a man with no credibility and the journalistic integrity of a tabloid newspaper, that's your business.
9 - MT
Barger -- you think it was fair game for Drudge to imply that Kerry and Edwards were gay? Why -- because they're men and men aren't supposed to touch each other? Is that it? I got news for you, Al, this is 2005, not 1953. Get with it old boy.
10 - Al Barger
No MT, I doubt either one is particularly gay. Heck, I'm pretty touchy feely myself.
However, they were running for president and vice-president, and they were making a big point of all these contrived gestures of touching. Getting teased for this silly stuff comes with the territory, much as Al Gore got mocked for the Earth tones and alpha male schtick.
Drudge certainly does not champion bloggers, or other bloggers, if that's what you want to consider him. Obviously, he's anxious to distance himself, to be above the fray. He wouldn't want people thinking that he's just another blogger- even and especially if he is.
He certainly has sources and fact checking, though those are not entirely perfect. However, I'd still rate his reliability at LEAST the equal of CBS or NYT.
11 - RJ
Or Newsweek...
12 - Dave Nalle
What's in Scott's Head indeed.
Dave
13 - Iron Yuppie
sorry guys, but I will take Drudge's accuracy over the NY Times or Washington post any day of the week.
14 - Scott Butki
What a depressing thread to read.
So you'd prefer Drudge's innuendo and rumors and linking to real reporters and news agencies - because isn't like 90 percent of his page nothing but links!? - to real journalism organizations?
This despite getting caught making major mistakes ?
15 - Matthew T. Sussman
Fark = 1,000,000 Drudges typing at 1,000,000 keyboards.
Both sites are more entertaining than MSM because they're not boring and they don't care if they're wrong once in a while. More news outlets should follow their lead.
16 - Scott Butki
Yes, but that assumes an important goal of newspapers is to be entertaining
17 - Al Barger
The Drudge haters seem to put a great deal of emphasis on claims of inaccuracy. Those criticisms are largely without basis in fact, certainly in any kind of real world comparison to the so-called MSM. Plus, I feel more confident of Drudge's good faith in what he does, unlike CBS for one.
18 - Matthew T. Sussman
Shrinking newsrooms, plummeting circs ... you know, getting people's interest might not be such a bad idea.