The Clinton Sex Scandal Essays - Lewinsky Scandal, Drudge Report

The Clinton Sex Scandal Rare is a person that crosses the path of the White House without some emotion of envy or awe. This building epitomizes world leadership and unprecedented power. This renowned leadership may be the only association made by certain countries, while in the United States many see an other significance: Watergate, Whitewater, Kennedy's brutal and mysterious assassination, and today, Clinton's "zippergate" scandal. When the President of the United States takes oath, he gives up a part of his life. His private life becomes the public's life, and they feel the right to know what happens behind the Oval Office. Now the Presidency must battle against Newspaper journalists, radio personalities, televised news reports and now, even more menacing: the Internet. Presidents who are constantly reminded of their power and prestigious rank, become exasperated because they cannot control the news media, even though they can to a large degree set the news agenda. Media has expanded in its presence, becoming widespread on the Internet, perhaps monopolizing the domain, by becoming more powerful and more used than written, televised or radio journalism. The Presidents' inability to control the press exposes their vulnerability and tends to question the actual power they can actually exert. All presidents, at some time or another, became frustrated at what they perceived as unfair treatment by the press, even while acknowledging its vital function in a free society, and many presidents have been a part of a scandal. The current Presidential scandal with Monica Lewinsky had swept the Nation overnight. It seems quite impossible to know just how it will all turn out, and unfair to even speculate, but the media certainly seems to think they possess that right. It is obvious that this story has changed the face of journalism, has put online media on the map in a major way, and has made life more difficult for newspapers forever. First, let's take a look at how this story developed and how it acted on the Internet. David Noack of E&P in his article "Web's Big Role in Sex Controversy" does a great job of detailing the twisting path this tale took from rumor to investigation to publication, and how the Internet played a key part. Noack points out in his article that the "Clinton/Lewinsky" scandal has drastically changed online media. He writes: "A year ago, most newspapers and news magazines adhered to the hard rule that they would not stoop themselves by putting breaking news on their Web sites before it appeared in their print editions. But a rapidly-growing public demand for almost "instant" Web coverage of breaking national news stories has forced even the largest newspapers and magazines? like the Washington Post and Newsweek?to abandon the old rule." "Out with the old, in with the new." It is easy to think breaking stories online could dilute journalists' on-paper presence; now many have realized that online media puts all journalists on equal footing with radio and TV. So who drove this change, pushing away the status quo? Matt Drudge, author of "The Drudge Report". It is still the Internet's gold rush period and everyone is running around trying to make a profit. The irony is that the person who best embodies what's revolutionary about the Internet has made next to no money from it: Matt Drudge, 30, is the author of "The Drudge Report", a bulletin of entertainment gossip, political rumor and witty meta-news. His web page ( http://www.drudgereport.com) is austere; it consists of a headline, links to news sources and some black and white clip art. Apparently he is really quite well informed, he reads 18 newspapers a day and he admires politics enough to go after both sides of the story when the time comes. Drudge's contact list has been expanding far quicker than his bank account he now has a huge following, with a mailing list of over 85,000 people. This web journalist has such an impact on the Internet that last week he managed to cause consternation in the White House and this was not the first time. He flagged a story Newsweek had been sitting on for six months: that President Clinton may have propositioned a White House worker named Kathleen Willey on federal property. I found an article on the Internet that seemed to sum up exactly what people's opinion on Drudge is, very mixed: "The best thing about the Internet is Matt Drudge. He knows how to use the online medium. He prizes speed, being first, and he connects strongly with an audience that wants personality and gossip. The worst thing about