Drudge, Matt (1966–)

MATT DRUDGE, a popular and controversial internet journalist, grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., residing in the town of Takoma Park, Maryland. During his youth, Drudge was a relative loner and spent a lot of his time listening to talk radio, which is in abundance in the capital region. He specialized in current events and embraced the information and news-heavy culture of the nation's political center. In school, Drudge only succeeded in subjects that he could relate to current events, graduating 325th out of a class of 350 students.

Drudge held an array of jobs before succeeding as an internet journalist, including doing the night shift at a 7–11 convenience store, selling Time Life books over the phone, and working in a CBS gift shop. While working at the gift shop, Drudge overheard a variety of gossip from the news studio, where he thought of the premise for his overwhelmingly popular Drudge Report website. When he heard gossip, Drudge wondered what success he would have if he relayed it on the internet.

Acting upon his ideas, Drudge moved to Los Angeles and established his website in 1994. Gathering news stories from across the internet and working from his small apartment, he originally started it as a low-cost and low-income venture created on an old 486-based computer, but the website and Drudge quickly gained notoriety due to its right-wing slant.

Drudge's website is a collection of links to stories about entertainment, politics, current events, and daily columns by popular journalists. Occasionally, he authors his own articles, often when he is writing about a rumor or unconfirmed story. In 2004, Drudge lived in a lavish condominium in Miami, Florida, evidence of his website's quick rise to fame and continued advertising income.

Conversing with connections within the news industry and political realm, Drudge is often able to break big stories before they are released in the mainstream media. His website first received national attention in 1996 as a result of one of Drudge's breaking stories; he reported Senator Robert Dole's selection of running mate Jack Kemp in the presidential election before the story ran on the major news channels, and before it was announced by Dole himself. His largest “exclusive” which made an impact nationwide was the Drudge Report's announcement of the occurrence of an inappropriate relationship between President Bill Clinton and a White House intern, launching the Monica Lewinsky scandal, which was subsequently reported by Newsweek. Throughout the scandal, Drudge remained on the forefront, reporting developments or other rumors before other media sources.

Drudge faces harsh criticism for his questionable contributions to journalism since many fellow reporters accuse him of publishing stories that are discovered or researched by other journalists. His treatment of the Monica Lewinsky scandal made him a hated target of some Clinton supporters, including well-known celebrities and politicians. In 1997, Drudge was sued for libel and defamation by one of Clinton's lawyers, Sidney Blumenthal, following a story in the Drudge Report that claimed that Blumenthal beat his wife. Drudge immediately apologized and removed the story, later reaching a settlement in the case in his favor. In response to Drudge's success, singer and actress Barbara Streisand even began to publish replies to his articles on her personal website.

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