Ex-Clinton Spokesman: Drudge Bastardizes The Press
As Sen. Hillary Clinton's potential of securing the presidential nomination went from sure-bet to dog-fight, one of the primary complaints from her camp was that the media had taken sides against her.
At the spear's tip of that criticism was Matt Drudge, the Internet voyeur, whose site was born out of opposition to President Clinton and became, in the current cycle, a platform for advancing various damaging Hillary stories. Indeed, by the end of the primary, several Clinton aides were insistent that Drudge was personally in the bag for Barack Obama.
On Wednesday, Clinton's former deputy communications director shed a little light on the lingering animosity that developed between the candidate and the Internet opportunist. Speaking at National Journal and Google's "21st Century Campaign" symposium, Phil Singer, who has started a consulting firm since the primary ended, discussed how Drudge had, in some ways, "bastardized" the media, spurring reporting that was "incomplete, inaccurate" and sometimes "false."
"I think the significance of Drudge has less to do with right-wing versus left-wing. The significance of Drudge is that he does like to break news. In so doing, he creates a prisoner's dilemma of sorts between news organizations. If he teases the New York Times front page for the next day, that is going to send all the New York Times' competitors into a tizzy to see if they can a) chase it down, b) if they can chase it down, break it. And that sometimes leads to rushed journalism... or sometimes [journalism that is] incomplete, inaccurate, perhaps not as detailed as it should be, lacking a certain nuance. And you get perhaps a false report or a skewed report that contributes to the zeitgeist."
He went on: "Often times when Drudge does that, the New York Times will hold its piece, and it doesn't show up the next day and the only thing out there is the other paper's effort. And I think that, in some respects bastardizes the process."
The moderator, PBS's Judy Woodruff, responded by playfully suggesting, "you sound like someone who is speaking from experience." But it was an earnest media criticism -- one that seemed directed at news sites beyond Drudge, including Real Clear Politics and The Huffington Post. And the panel engaged in some follow up discussion as to the benefits and perils of new media.
It should be noted that the relationship between Drudge and Clinton was not always so sour. Clinton's camp spent time trying to woo the favor of the site, often feeding leaks or giving first access to speeches or fundraising totals. On other occasions, they butted heads. After Drudge reported that Hillary's staffers had allegedly spread a picture of Obama in African garb, Singer responded to press inquiries on the topic by declaring: "I find it interesting that in a room of such esteemed journalists that Mr. Drudge has become your respected assignment editor... I find it to be a reflection of one of the problems that's gone on with the overall coverage of this campaign."
In the end, however, the Clinton campaign grew increasingly convinced that the press was either against its cause or too overcome by Obama, and that Drudge was exhibit A of that paradigm. When Drudge showed up at Clinton's good-bye rally this past Saturday, his presence raised eyebrows as did his strange mingling and people-watching ("Hey, there's Gloria Steinem," he reportedly said as the feminist icon walked by). And on Wednesday, The New York Times reported that Drudge was on Clinton's post-campaign "enemy list."
June 11, 2008 04:48 PM