Drudging up the dirt

INTERNET newshound Matt Drudge made his name on January 17, 1998, announcing on his website: “A White House intern carried on a sexual affair with the President of the United States.” That intern was Monica Lewinsky, and the President was Bill Clinton.

Within weeks the story was international news and months later Clinton was almost kicked out of the White House for lying about the affair.

Now, right-wing, trilby hat-wearing Drudge is at it again, accusing the Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry over an intern.

The posting on his website www.drudgereport.com sparked a flurry of political gossiping on the internet on Wednesday and caused panic in the Kerry camp.

After breaking so many stories that have later gone mainstream, Drudge has made a name for himself. His site is a daily must-see for journalists, politicians and their staffers in the US.

Drudge said he earns “nearly seven figures” from the website, which often surpasses mainstream news websites.

Drudge grew up near Washington, DC and moved to Los Angeles with dreams of becoming a journalist. After a series of low-paying jobs, he launched his website in 1995, combining political gossip with celebrity scandal and mixing in his own “scoops”.

Drudge recently said he was part of a news revolution. “It doesn’t happen overnight, but I still do see a future where individuals do make a difference, reporting what they know, and what they believe to be true as opposed to corporations and gigantic newsrooms.”