05-06-2008, 10:30 AM
[quote Lux Interior]What does Matt Drudge do? I don't read the "Drudge Report" but I thought it was just a list of links to actual news sources, reputable or otherwise.
I wondered about that too. It's mentioned in the article. Even though he breaks original stories rarely (he does occasionally break news, signaled with the the police siren graphic) his item selection in general is what defines him. And the fact that The Drudge Report is among the most-visited news sites, watched regularly by insiders (every political hack in D.C. probably reads it multiple times daily) Drudge is as elusive as Howard Hughes, but he's viewed as influential.
Having said that, it's arguable how influential he is in this election cycle, compared to previous ones. The peak of his influence was probably during the Clinton/Lewinski scandal in the '90s. The blog phenomenon was still on the horizon, wouldn't become relevant for a few more years. What Matt Drudge does is no longer all that original anymore. But he's still a leading figure from the world of self-made amateur journalists.
I wondered about that too. It's mentioned in the article. Even though he breaks original stories rarely (he does occasionally break news, signaled with the the police siren graphic) his item selection in general is what defines him. And the fact that The Drudge Report is among the most-visited news sites, watched regularly by insiders (every political hack in D.C. probably reads it multiple times daily) Drudge is as elusive as Howard Hughes, but he's viewed as influential.
Having said that, it's arguable how influential he is in this election cycle, compared to previous ones. The peak of his influence was probably during the Clinton/Lewinski scandal in the '90s. The blog phenomenon was still on the horizon, wouldn't become relevant for a few more years. What Matt Drudge does is no longer all that original anymore. But he's still a leading figure from the world of self-made amateur journalists.
