The Los Angeles Times reports on the power of Matt Drudge‘s Drudge Report to draw its readers’ attention to selected news stories – influence that has caught the attention of television network executives. According to the article, CBS News, for example, sends Drudge “transcripts of upcoming (60 Minutes) segments for which they want advance buzz. The idea is to get reporters, who might throw away a self-serving network publicity release, to chase the item on the Drudge Report because it has ‘more of a news aura,’ explained a CBS executive who spoke anonymously.”
“By promoting on the Drudge Report, we raise the stakes. Drudge is like a megaphone in the cyber-world. Other news organizations and websites take their cue from him.”
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