The Drudge Report. Many read the international Web news portal, and thousands set it as their homepage. As you know, global stock markets tanked this week. With up to 20 million hits per day, the
question begs asking: to what extent did Drudge play a part?
Of course, several factors contributed to nosedive, Drudge, with its blunt, tabloid-style headlines and wide-ranging pool
of American leaders, journalists etc., played its part. Drudge headlines may contain up to 40 words or 40 sentences; the most important ones are distinguished in red, bold type. The really important
ones come in extra-big, flashing font. Yellow journalism? You bet. And don't underestimate its influence: Drudge is on pace for more than 4 billion hits this year. When you think about its affluent,
well-educated audience, that's powerful stuff.
So what happened earlier this week? Drudge pasted the blaring headline, "Greenspan warns of likely U.S. recession," on what was a
decidedly mild-mannered AP story covering a speech from former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. The economic bellwether said a recession inevitably follows a long period of global economic
expansion -- but he didn't mention when or how big. This isn't new, other economists have noted the same thing.
Read the whole story at ABCNews.com »