Clinton Scandal

15 Pages 3678 Words

path this tale took from rumor to investigation to publication, and how the Internet played a key part. Noack points out in his article that the "Clinton/Lewinsky" scandal has drastically changed online media. He writes: "A year ago, most newspapers and news magazines adhered to the hard rule that they would not stoop themselves by putting breaking news on their Web sites before it appeared in their print editions. But a rapidly-growing public demand for almost "instant" Web coverage of breaking national news stories has forced even the largest newspapers and magazines- like the Washington Post and Newsweek-to abandon the old rule." "Out with the old, in with the new."
It is easy to think breaking stories online could dilute journalists' on-paper presence; now many have realized that online media puts all journalists on equal footing with radio and TV. So who drove this change, pushing away the status quo? Matt Drudge, author of "The Drudge Report". It is still the Internet's gold rush period and everyone is running around trying to make a profit. The irony is that the person who best embodies what's revolutionary about the Internet has made next to no money from it: Matt Drudge, 30, is the author of "The Drudge Report", a bulletin of entertainment gossip, political rumor and witty meta-news. His web page is austere; it consists of a headline, links to news sources and some black and white clip art. Apparently he is really quite well informed, he reads 18 newspapers a day and he admires politics enough to go after both sides of the story when the time comes. Drudge's contact list has been expanding far quicker than his bank account he now has a huge following, with a mailing list of over 85,000 people.
This web journalist has such an impact on the Internet that last week he managed to cause consternation in the White House-and this was not the first time. He flagged a story Newsweek had been sitting on for six months: that Presiden...