09:29 - 23 February, 2005
Drudge and Gannon
Is Matt Drudge a Gannon "client?"
from DailyKos
Anyone noticed anything peculiar about The Drudge Report lately? Like, the total absence of any Gannongate stories or links?
Drudge came of age "breaking" the Monica Lewinski story, and the leaks and links to that one run straight (pun intended) back to "Gannon" colleagues who operate the right-wing noise machine.
As a regular Drudge monitor, I've been following the Gannon story closely on his site. So far, that's been pretty easy: Drudge has never linked to a single Gannon story from his splash page, though all his usual suspects, from the Washington Post and NY Times to Yahoo - have covered it.
The most salacious blog topic since Monica has apparently fallen down a black hole at Drudge.
True, Drudge offers a single link to a McClellan spin piece. Under the eye-grabbing header, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: WHAT IS A REPORTER?..., Drudge offered this riveting lead:
White House spokesman Scott McClellan On Thursday challenged liberal media activists, who are currently feigning outrage over events surrounding "Jeff Gannon," to examine the definition of reporter in the new century.
That's it. That's Drudge on Gannon. Can you spell "coverup?" Can you smell one?
Interestingly, Drudge's "exclusive" is datelined Feb. 10, 2005, yet it links to the Yahoo "Gannon resigns" story datelined Feb. 11. But beyond that peculiar time-warp anomaly, Drudge has offered nada, zip, zero on Gannongate. Search his archives and you'll find that solitary McClellan piece and no more.
I've read dozens of comments on dKos claiming that Drudge tries to "play fair" or offer balance. I say, balderdash. I've winced every time Drudge Report stories turn into instant diaries here and I've shuddered when dKos diarists apply Drudge "style" ("BREAKING! DEVELOPING...) to their own work. I've also noticed dozens of dKos diaries that show up as Drudge Report stories an hour later - someone at Drudge is a dKos user.
Feel free to disagree (or deny), but I've read Drudge almost daily for seven years. IMO Drudge is an integral cog in the right-wing noise machine. His treatment of the Gannon story is strictly Black Hole.
I won't be surprised if the "punditgate" FOIA requests turn up evidence Rove and company have been funneling big bucks his way to showcase the VRWC daily agenda and provide the nation's 3,200 right-wing radio talk show hosts their script points.
Anyone want to speculate Drudge is involved in Gannongate up to his armpits? Okay, I will. There's no evidence, of course. Not at DailyKos, and certainly not on The Drudge Report.
TK
"Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal."
� Martin Luther King Jr.
