How Matt Drudge Rules the (Political) World

washingtonpost.com's Politics Blog
The Fix by Chris Cillizza
7/11/08

How Matt Drudge Rules the (Political) World

There's little debate that Matt Drudge and his eponymous website sit at the junction of politics and journalism in the modern media age.

This observation is not new. John F. Harris, editor-in-chief of Politico, and Mark Halperin, author of "The Page" at time.com, dedicated a significant segment of their book "The Way to Win" to the unique influence Drudge wields over American politics. New York magazine's Phillip Weiss wrote a lengthy but well worth reading profile of Drudge last year. And Ben Smith and Jonathan Martin -- both of Politico -- offered their own examination of Drudge's reach during the Democratic primary in a piece last month.

And yet, for anyone who follows the day in, day out nitty-gritty of campaign politics (as we do) it is well worth reminding yourself of how much power Drudge has to push a particular storyline or a broader narrative in the race.

Witness the maelstrom set off by a Drudge headline posted last evening that blared: "CHICAGO SLAPDOWN: REV. JESSE JACKSON SAYS OBAMA TALKING DOWN TO BLACKS."

The item, which featured a hint at the comments made about Barack Obama by Jackson in front of an active Fox News Channel mic and later reported on "The O'Reilly Factor", immediately shot around the newsrooms of the country and reporters sprung into action.

The Post's Jonathan Weisman posted a piece entitled: "It's Jackson vs Jackson on 'Ugly' and 'Demeaning' Obama Remarks"; The New York Times "Caucus" blog wrote an item of their own -- "Jackson Apologizes for Remarks on Obama" -- as did the Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal among many, many other news outlets. Every cable network covered the story extensively and the CBS and NBC evening news both fit the story into their ever-shrinking news hole.

While the story would almost certainly have gotten attention due to its salacious nature, make no mistake: Matt Drudge made that story and ensured that it dominated the world of political journalism for at least 24 hours.

"Drudge has become center court at Wimbledon," said Alex Castellanos, a Republican media consultant and adviser to former governor Mitt Romney's presidential bid. "If it doesn't happen there, it doesn't happen."

What explains Drudge's reach?

In interviews with more than a dozen operatives -- many of whom are rightly classified "Drudge-ologists" for their intimate study of the likes and dislikes of the man and the site -- two major reasons are offered.

First and foremost, is the depth -- and the quality -- of Drudge's readership. Drudge's number of unique visitors is regularly touted but what is more important, in terms of his ability to drives news cycles, is that every reporter and editor who covers politics is checking the site multiple times a day.

Phil Singer, former deputy communications director for Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign and now a Democratic consultant, called Drudge's "elite readership" a key to his influence. Singer added that a walk through any press filing center at a debate reveals every other laptop, at least, has Drudge's website up on its screen.

The second major reason for Drudge's influence, according to the Fix's informal poll of Drudge-ologists is his ability to sniff out a potentially big story when others -- including reporters -- miss it at first glance.

"He can identify what's a big deal even when the reporters who actually cover and report on an event don't realize what they have," said one GOP strategist granted anonymity to speak candidly. "He scoops reporters' scoops."

Kevin Madden, a Republican operative now with the Glover Park Group, said that Drudge's site serves as a "national political assignment editor of sorts for those covering the campaign trail."

Katie Levinson, former communications director for former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, echoed Madden's sentiment: "The Drudge Report has become the must-read for TV anchors and radio personalities before they go on air, for bookers sorting out what's 'newsy' in a non-stop news cycle, and for political candidates looking to avoid getting blindsided by the press."

Regardless of the reason given for Drudge's power, to a person, everyone The Fix spoke to agreed that there is no single tool more powerful in the modern media for breaking a story or turning up the volume on a little-noticed comment.

Hate him or love him -- and there are plenty of people who do both, often simultaneously -- you can't ignore him.

As Mike Murphy, Republican media consultant extraordinaire (and new employee of NBC!) puts it: "Drudge has the biggest store window on the news side of the Internet, whether the traditional media likes it or not."