FEBRUARY 17, 2004 - “Drudge is not a reporter, a journalist or a newsgatherer. He is, as he himself admits, simply a purveyor of gossip. See Complaint, Exs. 6, 8. His argument that he should benefit from the "news gathering exception" to subsection (a)(4) of the long-arm statute merits no serious consideration.”
This is not speculation or commentary from any political type. This is the legal opinion of a judge who presided over a defamation suit in which Drudge was involved a few years ago. (SIDNEY BLUMENTHAL and JACQUELINE JORDAN BLUMENTHAL, Plaintiffs, v. MATT DRUDGE and AMERICA ONLINE, INC., Defendants., Civil Action No. 97-1968 (PFL), UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, 992 F. Supp. 44; 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5606; 26 Media L. Rep. 1717; 12 Comm. Reg. (P & F) 367, April 22, 1998, Decided, April 22, 1998, Filed)
The suit was filed because on August 10, 1997, Drudge ran the following hateful smear against Blumenthal, who had just been given a political appointment by then-President Clinton:
“The DRUDGE REPORT has learned that top GOP operatives who feel there is a double-standard of only reporting republican shame believe they are holding an ace card: New White House recruit Sidney Blumenthal has a spousal abuse past that has been effectively covered up.
“The accusations are explosive.” That lead in look familiar? The exact type he used when issuing his recent dishonest smears against General Wesley Clark or his current claims against Senator John Kerry? Drudge continued: “There are court records of Blumenthal's violence against his wife, one influential republican, who demanded <**2> anonymity, tells the DRUDGE REPORT…
Wow, court records, huh? It must have been easy for Drudge to defend himself then, huh? Certainly he didn’t back down, since there were “court records” to support his smearing claim, right?
Well, actually, Drudge had to retract the story and, according to a report by the Washington Post, apologize. As the legal proceedings report:
“After receiving a letter from plaintiffs' counsel on Monday, August 11, 1997, Complaint, Ex. 6, defendant Drudge retracted the story through a special edition of the Drudge Report posted on his web site and e-mailed to his subscribers. Drudge Decl. I PP 17-19. At approximately 2:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 12, 1997, Drudge e-mailed the retraction to AOL which posted it on the AOL service. Drudge Decl. I P 19; AOL Mem. at l2. n5 Defendant Drudge later publicly apologized to the Blumenthals. Drudge Decl. I P 20; Complaint, Ex. 6 (Howard Kurz (sic), Blumenthals Get Apology, Plan Lawsuit: Web Site Retracts Story on Clinton Aide, Washington Post, August 11, 1997, at A 11).”
http://www.moderateindependent.com/v2i4drudge.htm
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