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Drudge Breaks White House Embargo
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ShareJanuary 24, 2007 12:31 PM
Once again flouting decades of tradition, Internet maverick Matt Drudge broke the gentleman's agreement last night between the White House and the Washington press corps by posting the full text of the president's State of the Union address 40 minutes before it was delivered.
"The days of the button-down, follow-the-rules White House press corps are long over," American University Journalism Professor Alicia Shepard told ABC News.
As is customary, the advance text of the president's speech was delivered to major news organizations at 8:21 p.m. last night with the instructions, "EMBARGOED – this cannot be used until delivery at 9:01:30PM EDT." But within minutes, Matt Drudge posted the full text on his popular news Web site "The Drudge Report."
When ABC News' Ann Compton notified the White House Press Office of the Drudge posting, her call was returned with the instructions, "Do what you have to do." The White House did not officially lift the embargo, but Compton says, "They knew the horse was already out of the barn."
"The Internet, as we all know, changes everything. The only way the White House can punish Drudge -- or any reporters who don't follow the embargo protocol -- is to deny them access. Matt Drudge does just fine without a White House press pass," said Professor Shepard.
Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.
It is not known how Drudge obtained his advance copy of the State of the Union address last night, but "embargoed" copies of the president's speeches are distributed to a list of several hundred in addition to the White House Press Corps.
Earlier this month, Drudge also broke the embargo on the president's Iraq War speech.
Drudge didn't respond to requests for comment from ABC News this morning but recently has been heard to boast on his Sunday night radio show, "That's what we do here at the Drudge Report. We break embargoes."
Concerning the broken embargo, the White House told ABC News, "We have thousands of people on our distribution list, and it's hard police the embargo."
As for whether they will no longer be e-mailing advanced copies of speeches, they have "nothing to announce right now."
January 24, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (180)
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Your admonishment of Drudge for this action is based on a couple assumptions. 1. That Drudge is a journalist. 2. That Drudge has scruples or anything resembling integrity.
Thus, this is a non-story. Next, please.
Posted by: nffcnnr | Jan 24, 2007 1:17:45 PM
If journalists have access to the speech then why shouldn't the regular public? Are journalists more deserving or better people than the rest of us?
Power to the people, thank you Matt Drudge.
Posted by: LC | Jan 24, 2007 2:33:04 PM
Who cares if Matt is a journalist or has any scruples, it's the first site I check for all my news. Does Whitewater and Lewinski ring a bell?
Posted by: Scudder | Jan 24, 2007 2:33:21 PM
If someone at the CIA hands over secrets to the NYT and they publish them, is that "breaking the embargo"?
Posted by: prudent | Jan 24, 2007 2:38:06 PM
That bigfoot journalists still read rightwing sleaze merchant Drudge (or, in Mark Halperin's words, are ruled by him), is the real story here. Drudge was interesting when he was Ken Starr's sock puppet, before the birth of a universe of thoughtful and well-informed blogs (no, not all of them, but plenty). Now he's just old news. He's never been a rebel. He's just a cog in the massive rightwing media conveyor belt. For God's sake, have some dignity, man!
Posted by: Septic Tank | Jan 24, 2007 2:38:39 PM
Yes, common courtesy was overlooked, but at least when Drudge releases secret White House info, no one's safety is in jeopardy. Take note New York Times.
Posted by: matt | Jan 24, 2007 2:39:01 PM
Drudge is more of a journalist and has more integrity in his little finger than all the "drive-by" media have ever had. He at least gives the truth instead of slanting it towards liberal Democrats!
Posted by: steven | Jan 24, 2007 2:44:36 PM
Why is it a story when Drudge breaks an embargo but when "real" journalists make up stories and the documents to "prove" them it is not news?
Posted by: James | Jan 24, 2007 2:44:41 PM
40 minutes before the adress? Bull, Wall Street knew the content of Bush's speech days before! Bush said he was going to double the size of the stratigic oil reserve last night, yet the price of oil on the markets shot up last friday! Bush is lining his oil friend pockets again and proping up oil prices for his buddies...AND THEY KNEW ABOUT IT DAYS AGO! The price of a barrel of oil is up over 6 dollars since last friday..so-so what if drudge posted it 40 minutes earlier than ABC news, wall street knew last week!.
Posted by: Steve | Jan 24, 2007 2:45:05 PM
good for him. he could like CBS just publish some lie he made up and then berate the president with it then stick by it AFTER hes fired and sued.
Posted by: j clark | Jan 24, 2007 2:46:02 PM
I wonder if the president should also deny the NYT access for publishing leaked confidential material?
Posted by: angrybob | Jan 24, 2007 2:46:50 PM
Drudge has repeatedly said he doesn't follow embargos. Whoever leaked the speach to Drudge, (effectively breaking the embargo) was the one who lacks integrity.
Posted by: Patrick | Jan 24, 2007 2:47:12 PM
Hear, hear!!! Drudge is always getting kudos and held up as an example of blogging and the "new" media. All the putz does is collect news stories, change the headlines to fit his ideology and post links. A fifth grader could do it too.
Posted by: kwc57 | Jan 24, 2007 2:48:32 PM
Drudge has far more integrity than much of the old media. The few times he has been wrong he has promptly corrected. Old media outlets like al New York Times can take 8 months to correct, if they ever do.
Posted by: M. Merman | Jan 24, 2007 2:48:46 PM
"Once again flouting decades of tradition"
Much as ABC and the other networks flout the decades of tradition of journalists being nonbiased and fair? Pot, meet kettle!
Posted by: TTH | Jan 24, 2007 2:52:00 PM
I agree with the previous poster. Drudge is not a journalist; he's interested in sensationalism, not truth. Lucky for him most of us are interested in sensationalism, too.
Posted by: dasmb | Jan 24, 2007 2:53:36 PM
I think its funny that ABC News' Ann Compton was 1)checking Drudge for the latest news instead of working and 2)complained to the WH regarding him breaking the embargo.
Drudge is the new Walter Cronkite of our age. Period.
Posted by: Nick | Jan 24, 2007 2:54:19 PM
whatever, nffcnnr - you slight Drudge as a non-journalist because your paradigm of news is old and out dated. Like your choice of news outlet [we did get it...] you lament the loss of 'honest' news sources and want everything to still be a 24-72 news cycle. sorry chump, your grandpa's 25 cent coffee doesn't exist. deal with that...
Posted by: thefabric_guy | Jan 24, 2007 2:54:49 PM
The administration and their minions leak everything about the speech in advance anyway, so why is this a shock?
Posted by: DC Dude | Jan 24, 2007 2:56:54 PM
Excellent point. Drudge is above all that protocol and mess, and get's straight to the business of getting information to the people.
Drudge is not a journalist - he links what others have said or written. Which is why criticism of his as a journalist is just plain ignorant.
Posted by: Alikar | Jan 24, 2007 3:01:49 PM
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