The Drudge Guide To Internet Journalism

July 20 2004
Counterbias.com
Scott C. Smith

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:

n      Gore Campaign Flies Flag Backwards; Violation of Federal Code;

n      ‘Father of Internet’ endorses Al Gore (a popular conservative lie about Al Gore is that Gore claimed to have “invented” the Internet);

n      Gore Said Homosexuality ‘Abnormal’ and ‘Wrong’; Vowed Not To Take Money From Gay Groups (the sensational headline does not mention the story is from 1981).

This is just a small sampling from Drudge.  Clearly Drudge’s agenda is conservative.

Now that the 2004 presidential race is underway,  Drudge is doing his part to publish sensational stories about the Democratic candidates.  Drudge set his sights on John Kerry on Jan. 27, 2004,  reporting that Kerry had taken Botox for wrinkles.  Drudge posted alleged “before” and “after” photographs of Kerry.  Kerry’s campaign denied the charge, not that it matters to Drudge.

Another Drudge exclusive, in February, was the Kerry had a mistress.  Again, the charge was unfounded and quickly refuted.

If anything, Drudge is dedicated to his task. 

Drudge made much ado about nothing in March, with the “story” that Kerry had called his secret-service agent a name after the man bumped into Kerry while Kerry was snowboarding, causing Kerry to take a spill.  Oddly enough, Drudge did little reporting of the incident in the Senate on June 22, when Vice President Dick Cheney called Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont the “f-word.” 

On July 8, the big Drudge “scoop” was that John Edwards and John Kerry were gay.  Of course, Drudge never actually used the words “gay” or “homosexual,” but rather made the suggestion with a series of photographs and some breathless prose:  “Hugs, kisses to the cheek, affectionate touching of the face, caressing of the back, grabbing of the arm, fingers to the neck, rubbing of the knees...John Kerry and John Edwards can't keep their hands off each other!” 

On July 19, Drudge had two exclusive scoops.  Drudge dredged up the tired Botox reference, with the twist that Kerry had gone “back” to wrinkles.  “After opting for a fresh-face-look for most of the campaign year, Dem presidential hopeful John Kerry has boldly gone back to wrinkles!” read the scoop of the century. 

The second story is an example of just how dishonest a “reporter” Matt Drudge is.  Under a huge banner headline, “You’re Not Going to Have to Look For Us On Vacation,” Drudge ran a series of photographs of John Kerry engaging in numerous activities, and a quote from John Kerry saying, “You're not going to have to look for us on vacation. You're going to find us (Kerry and John Edwards) working for America."  However, Drudge offers no context, nor does he offer any dates for when the photographs were taken.  Perhaps John Kerry is an active guy and does a lot on the weekend?  You wouldn’t know it from Drudge.  Fact checking?  Verification?  Accuracy?  These are concepts foreign to Matt Drudge.  Drudge distorts, and he decides.