Like the two commenters below me are pointing out -- The Drudge Report is much different today than it was 7 years ago. Around 2019 is when it fell off the cliff. This drastic change in tone and story selection is a great mystery to me, as Matt Drudge was at one time one of my personal heroes.
I've done research on this and the only conclusion I can determine - and this is speculation, I have no solid evidence for this - around 2019 Matt Drudge was offered a ton of money for the website--so much money that he couldn't refuse the offer--and the deal included him signing a non-disclosure agreementt. Matt has not been running the site since 2019, me thinks.
Hopefully Matt is healthy and still with us somewhere on a beach. I am concerned about his safety as we never see him on video. EVER. Since 2019 that I'm aware of.
100% agree; I am still a daily reader but I used to be a big time Drudge fan. I’d say it started several years prior to ‘19 but in any case it’s a completely different animal now. Matt used to post stories together to show both sides, he was much more nonpartisan. It seems that as liberals have leaned impossibly to the left he has leaned with them, not going fully woke but now sitting squarely as a liberal. It’s disappointing to see how much he cared for the sanctity of journalism once upon a time.
It started when Drudge felt insulted by Trump suggesting that Trump made Drudge more popular. Trump felt slighted when Drudge featured both sides of story and so unleashed on Drudge how he, Trump, made Drudge... That scenario is exactly when it started, when Drudge started shooting himself in the foot... because everyone knows what the "real" deal is... It's obvious that the media knows how to take advantage of the public's short-attention-span, by deciding how to spin lies-to-truth and truth-to-lies... It's not just the country's finances that are upside down!! To ignore reality, evidence as the media has done with the dems, with the intelligence community, with the 2020 vote, with COVID, the list doesn't end, they're going for broke, and my only hope is, that they will be broken in time to save our country, because you know who the only one is who can slow, or hopefully, stop this snowball from gathering continued momentum... we've just about past the point of no return, as the saying goes... He had a chance to turn the pond upside down and instead he "played ball" with them. He didn't do what he was elected to do. I pray he's finally learned his lesson and the deep state continues to show it's incompetence to such a degree that a threshold electorate that can overcome another edition of, the "steal"... I side with the country, not a person or party. And unfortunately, there's only one person on the scene who has the gravis, the cahunas, the ego, to do what has to be done. Will he do it, that is the question. You can't "play ball" with an enemy that has done what this ilk has done. I hope he goes all the way...
The editorial tone and position of the DrudgeReport has changed so dramatically and thoroughly that it begs explanation, and it's fair to question whether Matt remains at the helm. It's possible that Matt himself had a shift in alliance, such things have happened, but the overall circumstances are such that it's fair to wonder if he'd sold out or was otherwise subborned.
It is also suspicious that this change entirely coincides with the general trend of subversion and suppression of independent Internet delivered media that started around 2015 and accelerated with the arrival of the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic.
Regardless, the New Age he proclaimed has clearly entered a suppressive phase are adversary factions have figured out various ways of stuffing cats back into bags.
It is not even that d..report changed its political orientation, but that it completely reversed the tone while ostensibly keeping original label, within about a year circa 2019-2020 it transformed into the very opposite of what it represented at the inception - an independent, right of center anti-establishment outlet. Going after Trump was just a sign, but not a defining aspect of the reversal. It is as if it was a hostile take over to use the influence to push a messaging very much aligned with the establishment narrative regarding any topic, political, cultural, etc..
I noticed the change around the 2020 election. Trump called out Matt and it would seem, out of spite, the Report went after him even more. I agree it seems he isn't at the helm and it is no surprise the Drudge isn't out viewing the other news outlets by massive numbers as it was in 2012.
I'm in total agreement that Matt Drudge was made 'an offer he couldn't refuse' and as part of the deal had to sign a NDA. It was Drudge that broke the Monica Lewinsky story when the MSM tried to bury it. Now all the site does is hate on Trump and carry water for the Democrats. I'd love to buy the guy a cup of coffee and get the real scoop. The new owners don't even have the courage to disclose who owns it now.
I believe many followers of the old Drudge Report were because of Rush Limbaugh. He was the reason many I know, myself included, followed Drudge. He made mention to his sight a lot during his radio shows. The Drudge is no long what it was back then.
The Drudge Report is without a doubt left-wing. Nearly all (lazy) links are to Mediaite, CNN, AP or any number of liberal/left sites. It's almost impossible to find a link critical of Democrats. Is Matt Drudge even involved or did he sell his soul for 30 pieces of silver?
25 years ago, is not today. Drudge has apparently sold out to who knows who and the site has become an electronic National Enquirer circa 1965. Trashy stories, gossip and sensationalism. sad.
The Drudge Report was far better when it wasn't a parrot organ for Silicon Valley (where its soul is now based) and considering Drudge is no longer part of it and The Drudge Report is now the establishment, how is it a win? It's a cynical joke today and Drudge is RICH - as was his goal but he started with good intentions. A perfect example of power corrupts.
No. He simply had to face the choice every successful business founder, since before and after Colonel Sanders, faces at some point .. let the business die with you, or retire by cashing in and have the business continue in some form without you, and without your personality. Exhibit A: Apple after Steve Jobs is relative success story, but only from a business perspective, the soul and excitement is gone. If you have a solution to offer, please do so.
For grins: Colonel Sanders himself famously grumbled at the chain adding carrots to his cole slaw formula, just to add "color" at the expense of proper flavor. And cespite still being on as mascot (and the public still believing he fully owned it), he had sold his power to change it (or if he did, here and there .. well, it all came back the minute he died).
Exactly. Matt Drudge should not be the guarantor of free and independent thinking. If he decided to sell out, so be it. It is upon people to seek the truth. By the way, the same goes for Forbes, Steve Forbes who run as purist conservative with his flat tax obsessions, sold his publication of which he was so proud of, and now it is in the vanguard of wokeness.
Yeah, but KFC did not become The Fish Taco Shop, it remained loyal to its species - whereas Drudge totally flipped. It's a gossipy garbage site now like a Penske title, or 'The Atlantic', or 'NPR'. It's business to sell out but to sell out to a different species? He caved and sold the farm and it became a different species - that's my point.
I understand, but I have yet to find a better all around homepage/portal, for one thing it features realclearpolitics.com, which is the probably the best doorway into balanced presentation - it is balanced portal curated by a right/libertarian-leaning sensibility, as Drudge often was - just Drudge was more fun.
I have Drudge on another tab as write this comment. As I move my cursor over today's links, I can see the linked websites appear at the bottom-left of my screen. Today's sources of news for our "cultural maverick": cbsnew.com; msn.com; dailystar.co.uk; news.yahoo.com. Our favorite "cultural maverick" posts very few stories that take a skeptical view of Zelensky's increasing demands for unlimited military resources, courtesy of the US tax payer. I rarely see links connecting to stories by Greenwald or Taibbi.
I like checking in on the Drudge Report. It's a nicely aggregated collection of political, media, human interest and entertainment news. And they're all within the safe confines of accepted establishment positions. I thought the future would be cooler. Then again, let's be honest with each other: the story that launched the career of our favorite "cultural maverick" was based on nothing more than private relationship tittle-tattle.
I see a lot of coping in the comments here so I thought I’d just leave my 2¢.
The fact is Drudge had pushed for someone like Donald Trump for decades as a populist, and then when he saw what really Trump was, he reconsidered. I’ve read the Drudge Report practically everyday since I was 13 (now 28) and while obviously there is a change in political slant, I’ve not actually seen a major change in tone. There’s still plenty of snark, there’s still a general suspicion of elites, interest in fiscal conservatism, and opposition to big govt. But on the other hand, I think you could call it more leaning Neo-liberal (Milton Friedman, Hayek, non-Christian side of Reaganism) than it did before 2016.
I know it’s easy to read the assaults on Trump they put up as some kind of indicator that Drudge left the site, but I think most people forget how infuriated he was with Trump. And since he and Trump had their split, Drudge has had to watch a party and a voter base only appeal more and more to Trump. I can only imagine how that’d affect your politics after being the voice of the populist wing of conservatism for decades.
Finally, I think it’s far more likely that Drudge is still semi-active with the site, but knows there’s practically no reason for him to go back to the pre-2016 politics. With Breitbart leading the pack, there’s just a massive saturation of pro-Trumpian conservative sites now. If anything, the Drudge Report now reads more like a fairly moderate conservative site but not in the grotesque manner you’d see in the Weekly Standard. You still get the absurd stories (which have always been there, there was always a sensationalist element to it) but it’s far more likely to find stories that won’t just take the far right’s side or analysis. I suspect that whenever Trump and the populist right eventually collapse, I’ve no doubt Drudge will still be there.
Rubbish. Just consider his treatment of Elon Musk. Pre his infection with TDS, Drudge was a fan of Musk’s contrarian positions and business plans. Now he trumpets every little setback of the Musk empire as if we’re NPR. F the new Drudge Report and everyone involved in it.
This is the appropriate response. Hell, I’ll bet half the people trashing Drudge here linked to this article from the Drudgereport. I don’t support Drudge 100%, but he gets it right more than he gets it wrong, and he isn’t a lap dog for anyone’s cult.
I disagree. I could understand if he developed intense dislike for Trump and even shifted leftward), but it does not explain why Drudge would be so soft on Biden, Kamala, banishing any references to sordid Hunter trail (which is exhibit A for political and moral corruption to upteen's degree), neglecting the rampant out of control censorship on social media platforms. That's not the Drudge of Monica Lewinsky fame that I know of. There is nothing even remote of conservative or libertarian slant in its current form. Absolute, complete establishment line that could have come up from an average UN committee.
Again, that is like saying Steve Jobs is a traitor for whatever Apple is up to these days. A businessman retires by selling his business. Just too bad he very obviously signed a contract forbidding him to reveal that (as it would impact the value of the business - eg I could actually stand Huffington Post until Arial sold out and left .. I probably would not have noticed it's decline into pure partisanship as quickly if I had not known that).
that's complete nonsense. SO, he suddenly started to carry water for Democrats? be it completely mum regarding Hunter's laptop or now trashing Musk at every chance the moment he took over twatter? Did Musk also owes him condolences for something. It is clear as day that site owners have particular agenda.
Like the two commenters below me are pointing out -- The Drudge Report is much different today than it was 7 years ago. Around 2019 is when it fell off the cliff. This drastic change in tone and story selection is a great mystery to me, as Matt Drudge was at one time one of my personal heroes.
I've done research on this and the only conclusion I can determine - and this is speculation, I have no solid evidence for this - around 2019 Matt Drudge was offered a ton of money for the website--so much money that he couldn't refuse the offer--and the deal included him signing a non-disclosure agreementt. Matt has not been running the site since 2019, me thinks.
Hopefully Matt is healthy and still with us somewhere on a beach. I am concerned about his safety as we never see him on video. EVER. Since 2019 that I'm aware of.
100% agree; I am still a daily reader but I used to be a big time Drudge fan. I’d say it started several years prior to ‘19 but in any case it’s a completely different animal now. Matt used to post stories together to show both sides, he was much more nonpartisan. It seems that as liberals have leaned impossibly to the left he has leaned with them, not going fully woke but now sitting squarely as a liberal. It’s disappointing to see how much he cared for the sanctity of journalism once upon a time.
It started when Drudge felt insulted by Trump suggesting that Trump made Drudge more popular. Trump felt slighted when Drudge featured both sides of story and so unleashed on Drudge how he, Trump, made Drudge... That scenario is exactly when it started, when Drudge started shooting himself in the foot... because everyone knows what the "real" deal is... It's obvious that the media knows how to take advantage of the public's short-attention-span, by deciding how to spin lies-to-truth and truth-to-lies... It's not just the country's finances that are upside down!! To ignore reality, evidence as the media has done with the dems, with the intelligence community, with the 2020 vote, with COVID, the list doesn't end, they're going for broke, and my only hope is, that they will be broken in time to save our country, because you know who the only one is who can slow, or hopefully, stop this snowball from gathering continued momentum... we've just about past the point of no return, as the saying goes... He had a chance to turn the pond upside down and instead he "played ball" with them. He didn't do what he was elected to do. I pray he's finally learned his lesson and the deep state continues to show it's incompetence to such a degree that a threshold electorate that can overcome another edition of, the "steal"... I side with the country, not a person or party. And unfortunately, there's only one person on the scene who has the gravis, the cahunas, the ego, to do what has to be done. Will he do it, that is the question. You can't "play ball" with an enemy that has done what this ilk has done. I hope he goes all the way...
It started around the rume Trump became president. 2016-2017ish
The editorial tone and position of the DrudgeReport has changed so dramatically and thoroughly that it begs explanation, and it's fair to question whether Matt remains at the helm. It's possible that Matt himself had a shift in alliance, such things have happened, but the overall circumstances are such that it's fair to wonder if he'd sold out or was otherwise subborned.
It is also suspicious that this change entirely coincides with the general trend of subversion and suppression of independent Internet delivered media that started around 2015 and accelerated with the arrival of the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic.
Regardless, the New Age he proclaimed has clearly entered a suppressive phase are adversary factions have figured out various ways of stuffing cats back into bags.
It is not even that d..report changed its political orientation, but that it completely reversed the tone while ostensibly keeping original label, within about a year circa 2019-2020 it transformed into the very opposite of what it represented at the inception - an independent, right of center anti-establishment outlet. Going after Trump was just a sign, but not a defining aspect of the reversal. It is as if it was a hostile take over to use the influence to push a messaging very much aligned with the establishment narrative regarding any topic, political, cultural, etc..
I noticed the change around the 2020 election. Trump called out Matt and it would seem, out of spite, the Report went after him even more. I agree it seems he isn't at the helm and it is no surprise the Drudge isn't out viewing the other news outlets by massive numbers as it was in 2012.
I'm in total agreement that Matt Drudge was made 'an offer he couldn't refuse' and as part of the deal had to sign a NDA. It was Drudge that broke the Monica Lewinsky story when the MSM tried to bury it. Now all the site does is hate on Trump and carry water for the Democrats. I'd love to buy the guy a cup of coffee and get the real scoop. The new owners don't even have the courage to disclose who owns it now.
The Drudge Report is all left wing propaganda.
Where is Matt today?
Any explanations, or is he still hiding out?
This so called news-aggregator is no revolutionary, and not worth the mention.
I heard he lives in his Gay Closet.
Where the heck is Drudge?
Is he frozen at 200 degrees below zero in liquid nitrogen? Has his brain been removed controlled by (AI)?
I believe many followers of the old Drudge Report were because of Rush Limbaugh. He was the reason many I know, myself included, followed Drudge. He made mention to his sight a lot during his radio shows. The Drudge is no long what it was back then.
The Drudge Report is without a doubt left-wing. Nearly all (lazy) links are to Mediaite, CNN, AP or any number of liberal/left sites. It's almost impossible to find a link critical of Democrats. Is Matt Drudge even involved or did he sell his soul for 30 pieces of silver?
fuck Drudge. Traitor.
25 years ago, is not today. Drudge has apparently sold out to who knows who and the site has become an electronic National Enquirer circa 1965. Trashy stories, gossip and sensationalism. sad.
The Drudge Report was far better when it wasn't a parrot organ for Silicon Valley (where its soul is now based) and considering Drudge is no longer part of it and The Drudge Report is now the establishment, how is it a win? It's a cynical joke today and Drudge is RICH - as was his goal but he started with good intentions. A perfect example of power corrupts.
No. He simply had to face the choice every successful business founder, since before and after Colonel Sanders, faces at some point .. let the business die with you, or retire by cashing in and have the business continue in some form without you, and without your personality. Exhibit A: Apple after Steve Jobs is relative success story, but only from a business perspective, the soul and excitement is gone. If you have a solution to offer, please do so.
For grins: Colonel Sanders himself famously grumbled at the chain adding carrots to his cole slaw formula, just to add "color" at the expense of proper flavor. And cespite still being on as mascot (and the public still believing he fully owned it), he had sold his power to change it (or if he did, here and there .. well, it all came back the minute he died).
Exactly. Matt Drudge should not be the guarantor of free and independent thinking. If he decided to sell out, so be it. It is upon people to seek the truth. By the way, the same goes for Forbes, Steve Forbes who run as purist conservative with his flat tax obsessions, sold his publication of which he was so proud of, and now it is in the vanguard of wokeness.
Precisely
Yeah, but KFC did not become The Fish Taco Shop, it remained loyal to its species - whereas Drudge totally flipped. It's a gossipy garbage site now like a Penske title, or 'The Atlantic', or 'NPR'. It's business to sell out but to sell out to a different species? He caved and sold the farm and it became a different species - that's my point.
I understand, but I have yet to find a better all around homepage/portal, for one thing it features realclearpolitics.com, which is the probably the best doorway into balanced presentation - it is balanced portal curated by a right/libertarian-leaning sensibility, as Drudge often was - just Drudge was more fun.
I have Drudge on another tab as write this comment. As I move my cursor over today's links, I can see the linked websites appear at the bottom-left of my screen. Today's sources of news for our "cultural maverick": cbsnew.com; msn.com; dailystar.co.uk; news.yahoo.com. Our favorite "cultural maverick" posts very few stories that take a skeptical view of Zelensky's increasing demands for unlimited military resources, courtesy of the US tax payer. I rarely see links connecting to stories by Greenwald or Taibbi.
I like checking in on the Drudge Report. It's a nicely aggregated collection of political, media, human interest and entertainment news. And they're all within the safe confines of accepted establishment positions. I thought the future would be cooler. Then again, let's be honest with each other: the story that launched the career of our favorite "cultural maverick" was based on nothing more than private relationship tittle-tattle.
I see a lot of coping in the comments here so I thought I’d just leave my 2¢.
The fact is Drudge had pushed for someone like Donald Trump for decades as a populist, and then when he saw what really Trump was, he reconsidered. I’ve read the Drudge Report practically everyday since I was 13 (now 28) and while obviously there is a change in political slant, I’ve not actually seen a major change in tone. There’s still plenty of snark, there’s still a general suspicion of elites, interest in fiscal conservatism, and opposition to big govt. But on the other hand, I think you could call it more leaning Neo-liberal (Milton Friedman, Hayek, non-Christian side of Reaganism) than it did before 2016.
I know it’s easy to read the assaults on Trump they put up as some kind of indicator that Drudge left the site, but I think most people forget how infuriated he was with Trump. And since he and Trump had their split, Drudge has had to watch a party and a voter base only appeal more and more to Trump. I can only imagine how that’d affect your politics after being the voice of the populist wing of conservatism for decades.
Finally, I think it’s far more likely that Drudge is still semi-active with the site, but knows there’s practically no reason for him to go back to the pre-2016 politics. With Breitbart leading the pack, there’s just a massive saturation of pro-Trumpian conservative sites now. If anything, the Drudge Report now reads more like a fairly moderate conservative site but not in the grotesque manner you’d see in the Weekly Standard. You still get the absurd stories (which have always been there, there was always a sensationalist element to it) but it’s far more likely to find stories that won’t just take the far right’s side or analysis. I suspect that whenever Trump and the populist right eventually collapse, I’ve no doubt Drudge will still be there.
Rubbish. Just consider his treatment of Elon Musk. Pre his infection with TDS, Drudge was a fan of Musk’s contrarian positions and business plans. Now he trumpets every little setback of the Musk empire as if we’re NPR. F the new Drudge Report and everyone involved in it.
This is the appropriate response. Hell, I’ll bet half the people trashing Drudge here linked to this article from the Drudgereport. I don’t support Drudge 100%, but he gets it right more than he gets it wrong, and he isn’t a lap dog for anyone’s cult.
I disagree. I could understand if he developed intense dislike for Trump and even shifted leftward), but it does not explain why Drudge would be so soft on Biden, Kamala, banishing any references to sordid Hunter trail (which is exhibit A for political and moral corruption to upteen's degree), neglecting the rampant out of control censorship on social media platforms. That's not the Drudge of Monica Lewinsky fame that I know of. There is nothing even remote of conservative or libertarian slant in its current form. Absolute, complete establishment line that could have come up from an average UN committee.
drudge the faggot.
Point to the area on the doll where Drudge touched you.
oh? I did not know it. That explains it.
He's gay and does coke and flies around in his yet... HELLO???????????/
F - DRUDGE. Traitor.
Again, that is like saying Steve Jobs is a traitor for whatever Apple is up to these days. A businessman retires by selling his business. Just too bad he very obviously signed a contract forbidding him to reveal that (as it would impact the value of the business - eg I could actually stand Huffington Post until Arial sold out and left .. I probably would not have noticed it's decline into pure partisanship as quickly if I had not known that).
Ummmm …. Steve Jobs died while running Apple.
That’s not the same as Matt Drudge - who had a choice.
Are you referring to Steve Jobs 2.0?
Drudge changed when soon after his mother died no Republican ( or Democrat) official proclaimed sorrow.
that's complete nonsense. SO, he suddenly started to carry water for Democrats? be it completely mum regarding Hunter's laptop or now trashing Musk at every chance the moment he took over twatter? Did Musk also owes him condolences for something. It is clear as day that site owners have particular agenda.