WaPo Reporter: Matt Drudge Is The MSM's Assignment Editor
March 13, 2007 -- 10:57 AM EST // // Post a Comment
As this blog noted the other day -- channeling Mark Halperin -- the motto of the big news orgs with regard to Drudge should now be:
Matt Drudge Rules Our World -- Because We Happily Let Him Do Just That
Now we've got more proof of this. In today's Washington Post, reporter Chris Cillizza writes of Drudge the following:
Call it the Drudge effect.Major media outlets -- especially television networks -- use Drudge as a launching pad for their coverage, a fact that any first-tier presidential campaign is well aware of. Therefore, if a rival campaign (perish the thought!) wanted to step on Giuliani's announcement by raising questions about his conservative bona fides via a well-timed leak, Drudge was (and is) the medium of choice.
Watch how Drudge is used as a news driver by the various Republican (and Democratic) campaigns as they seek to disseminate negative information about their opponents throughout the primary process.
And, remember that whether you love him or hate him, you can't ignore Drudge.
So "major media outlets" use Drudge as a "launching pad for their coverage?" Does this include The Washington Post?
There are several obvious rejoinders here. If and when the major media outlets use Drudge in this way, this is an editorial choice, not an inevitability. If as Cillizza says we know that Drudge is the primary outlet for the dissemination of "negative information" about "opponents," then this should perhaps prompt caution about using Drudge as a news "launching pad."
But all too often, it doesn't. The other day, as I documented here, Drudge posted a completely dishonest hit on Hillary Clinton's southern drawl in Alabama. Before Drudge's posting, CNN showed absolutely no interest in Hillary's drawl. But after CNN assignment editor Matt Drudge posted his command for coverage, CNN was suddenly all over it. This was CNN's choice. They didn't have to do this. They chose to. The point is, Given Drudge's track record, shouldn't his influence prompt self-examination on the part of the big news orgs about his relationship with them, rather than a shrugging acceptance of his inevitable clout?
Not to fault Cillizza -- he was only observing what he believes is inarguably a fact of modern media life. But if we're perfectly aware that Drudge is the primary sludge line for campaign oppo research, and if we're perfectly aware that some Drudge stories are massive distortions or outright falsehoods, shouldn't we be trying to figure out how to prevent Matt Drudge From Ruling Our World, rather than granting him continued domination over us while writing paeans to Emperor Drudge's glorious omnipotence? Isn't it time that the big news orgs shipped Drudge off to Elba?
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