Dread and Judge Drudge

Drudgery: hard, menial work

It is sheer coincidence that Matt Drudge, creator of The Drudge Report, can be the center of something punny. Then again, it's no coincidence that he is considered the center of cyber-journalism. If you don't know his website, check it out at www.drudgereport.com. If you don't know why he's an important cyberspace political figure, let me sum up his significance: Drudge is the reporter who broke the Monica Lewinsky story to the world. Important stuff, huh? His website contains hotlinks to a variety of other news/political websites -- some with a political agenda, others journalistically neutral (?). His site, however, is often seen as very conservative and Right.

The articles he pens himself seem extremely biased. One has to see the site to get the full effect. In my opinion, The Drudge Report exists in a similar realm with FoxNews except TDR is not as evil. I think this site is worthy of sociological investigation for many reasons: First, with the collapse of print journalism, people are relying on internet news sites to remain informed. Even though I'd like to think that most folks could see through lopsided perspectives, it seems hopelessly optimistic. (They're probably the same people who are intrigued by Bat Boy and the appearance of Jesus on a piece of toast in Terre Haute. ) If people are looking for their news online, they are more likely to encounter biased reporting.

Second, I think it's worth investigating what constitutes "news" on the site. For example, today there's an article about Hilary breaking her elbow next to an article about Sacha Baron Cohen in hot pants. On top of the page, we are informed that North Korea plans on sending a bomb to Hawaii on Independence Day. Maybe I'm just old, but this mish-mosh is no substitute for The New York Times. There's something inherently wrong with pairings such as these on a news site.

Third, I'm fascinated by the fact that Drudge has gained a celebrity status because he broke the Clinton/Lewinsky story. We're not talking Woodward & Bernstein on Watergate here -- we're talking about a cyber-"reporter" giggling about semen on a dress. Oh, did I mention that Drudge's other "significant" stories include a supposed expose on John Kerry's military record and the passionate response to Ashley Todd's "attack." Notice a trend?

If you look at various stats online, it is a proven fact that Drudge's site has more hits than many other news sites on the web. This means that there are millions of people who use the website for their main source for news. Mind you, the site does contain those previously mentioned hot links, but the reader is drawn in to Drudge's own news articles; they are featured on the top of the page.

Many "legitimate" journalists view him as a muckraker. However, if one were to gripe about a particular news medium, it should be FoxNews. On today's ticker, the network mentioned Blagojevich and his "cronies." Yes, "cronies" is in quotes because it is their word, not mine. This word is often used in a derogatory context, but Fox felt it was the right word (no pun intended). Do you think they were trying to make a point?

Matt Drudge is a lucky fellow because millions of people look at his website every day. He's lucky because millions count on him as their lifeline to the world at large. Heck, he's lucky because his site has a clean, inviting design. However, there is something sinister about the increasing bias in journalism.

Does the internet promote faceless lying? I'm going to say yes. Matt Drudge is the faceless face of cyber-pseudo-journalism.

After all, it's hard work being covert.

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Oh, and believe me when I say I am familiar with the counter-argument. So if you're going to respond, know that I know what you're going to say. It may be because The Amazing Kreskin is my second cousin (really!), or maybe it's because I love a good debate. If this raised your ire, then I did my job to KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING!