When was the last time you visited a conservative website and saw a Drudge Report article about Drudge? Was it before or after Rush Limbaugh made his controversial comments about Drudge’s medical book? What is the relevance of Drudge Report alternative articles to the conservative movement? Is Drudge really dead? And why has the Drudge Report lost its relevance? It seems the Drudge Report lost some of its former glory in the clickbait generation that seeks immediate results and a storm of controversy, rather than a detailed analysis.
The Drudge Report is a favorite among many on the right. Some say that it gives the conservative movement some credibility by allowing them to attack liberal media bias. Others claim that Drudge Report alternative links are actually helping the conservative cause. In fact, some argue that by giving Drudge Report links to stories, it helps the conservative cause, by driving up traffic to their websites, which in turn, means that Drudge really does have an impact. And then there are those who say Drudge’s articles are simply recycled right-wing propaganda, designed to malign the left and give a bad impression about what the conservative movement is all about. Still others contend that Drudge Report articles have changed the way that Americans look at the news and they point to the growing number of people who visit Drudge Report websites as evidence that Americans no longer take Drudge’s words at face value but are judging the information they read according to the actual words in the article itself.
There is little doubt that Drudge Report articles, many of which are written by commentators with strong ties to the conservative movement, do indeed have an impact. This impact is felt most keenly by those who are in the entertainment business and by conservative politicians looking to sway public opinion. Indeed, many believe that Drudge has helped to shape the media landscape so that today, Fox News and other conservative outlets are seen as more respectable and trustworthy than they once were. But is it fair for him to depict such notions? Should we be thankful for Drudge’s hard work in getting us to pay more attention to our conservative counterparts?
One answer to this question would be No. And another would be Yes. Drudge Reports provides an important link in the conservative tradition of getting out your message and being seen. This tradition dates back to the early days of the conservative movement. As its founder and architect, Markosian, thought, “If we could see the future, we might have prevented a lot of this trouble with the present newspapers.”
Now, many wonder how he was able to foresee the problems with modern media. But this is not how Drudge saw it. He saw a void that, in his opinion, would ultimately ruin American society. As he wrote in his book Alternative Politics: “The great thing about America is that she is the last great hope of the human species. As long as there are free societies and independent minds, the world will be a better place.”
Many people can agree with this. Unfortunately, many others cannot. Their interpretations of Drudge are at odds with his basic thesis. According to them, Drudge is an irresponsible purveyor of misinformation. Others read Drudge as historically correct, or at best, a lukewarm promoter of American exceptionalism. Still others simply don’t understand what Drudge is trying to say.
It’s difficult to see any flaws in Drudge Report articles. The Drudge Report is filled with so many great articles and well-researched reports, one would think Drudge himself would recognize his own errors. So how come so many conservative think tanks and commentators are attacking Drudge Report articles and reports? It seems obvious that they are unwilling or unable to see what’s right in the middle of the Drudge Report wheel.
A better strategy for engaging with the Drudge Report content should be a reexamination of the values of conservatism itself. If Drudge wants to be the “voice of the Tea Party,” he needs to be the conservative voice of the mainstream media. He needs to not only have a balanced column; he should also have a line item that says, “Read it!” Not only will this make Drudge’s point, but it will also show the rest of us how reasonable and mainstream conservative ideas are – without the stuttering, name-calling, and name-dropping that accompany so much of today’s conservative thinking.
