Heat: Drudge on Gore

[James Brody]

Fascinating study of the emergence of a hub and a winner-take-all situation. Not that I've noticed, but: Drudge writes very little and, instead, gains influence by spotlighting what others have written. (He could be a Forum Host! )

First, Martin & Smith mention Gore as a "serial exaggerator."

Second, we might expect a feedback to Mr. Drudge from his audience: he certainly counts the number of hits that each headline gets. Does this sort of data have predictive value for the November election? Probably so. And will that feedback influence the choice of material published later. Again, probably so.

Third, Drudge may have ambitions for an international audience. Could be a pain for the Chinese if every detail of their maneuvers in Tibet were instantly up at Internet cafes. You also better worry if he starts a series on Putin. Or more to the point, Putin himself might worry!

Of course, drop a nuke in the atmosphere and there will be no Internet, no audience for Drudge, and for that matter, no lettuce - or anything else - in your local Safeway.


JimB


"Drudge keeps campaigns guessing

"Jonathan Martin & Ben Smith, 6/2/08, The Politico

"What nobody who follows the daily cut and thrust of American politics questions is Drudge's continuing power to drive the stories and shape the narratives that define presidential politics. His site grew notorious in the Clinton scandals of the late 1990s, and in 2000, he tortured Gore and helped solidify the perception that the vice president was a serial exaggerator." (emph added, JB)

Omigod, I missed all this!

What a promising find! (Again, as Darlington noted,"What men have done and what they will do, these are merely aspects of what they are doing now, some well, some badly." (CD Darlington, Intro to Galton's Hereditary Genius, 1962, 9.)

More at: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0608/10744.html