SEATTLE, Jan 31: A new era in journalism has begun and nothing illustrates this better than the current sex-scandal US reporters have dubbed ``zippergate''. The internet now is abuzz with news - and rumours about President Clinton's alleged affair with a White House intern.It all began with a rumour that became news. Matt Drudge, a 31-year-old Hollywood reporter and internet gossip columnist, apparently had a well-informed source. About three days before the story about the allegations involving Monica Lewinsky broke officially in the Washington Post last week, the sensational news was reported on the internet at www.Drudgereport.Com.
The story that first appeared in this space nearly two weeks ago continues to flare up and blister, Drudge now proudly declares in his daily report. He had scooped the mainstream media and Newsweek magazine above all.
Newsweek reporter Michael Isikoff had gathered most of the sensational information about the Lewinsky allegations, but the magazine's editors decided tohold the story. The decision was made on January 17. On the very same day, Drudge, who apparently was tipped off by a source at the magazine, wrote about the charges for the first time. Newsweek followed proper journalistic procedure, even though it was in possession of tape-recordings with Monica Lewinsky talking about her affair. However, the tapes neither confirmed nor disproved the most explosive legal allegation -- obstruction of justice, the magazine later said in justifying its initial decision not to publish.
When Newsweek then did publish its story on the internet four days later, the media frenzy had already broken out. And in the midst of all the hoopla, observers are worried about a rising tide of hearsay reported as fact over the internet.
``I am accurate about 80 per cent of the time,'' Drudge said. He has been criticised heavily for his work ethic by journalists whose goal it is to be accurate 100 per cent of the time. But even Drudge's competitors in the mainstream media make mistakes -with little time to correct them if stories go straight from the writer's desk to the internet.
``In essence, your story is correct''. With this quote by former US attorney Joseph Di Genova, the Dallas Morning News tried to defend itself after its recent zippergate debacle. An internet edition of the Texas newspaper had misreported a bombshell. According to the paper, a secret service agent was ready to testify he had seen President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky in a compromising situation.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
