Posted 12:53 PM by Scoobie Davis

Drudge Confronted By Scoobie Davis About False Enron Rumor

I have listened to Drudge’s radio show, but not on a regular basis. The idea of listening to Drudge’s grating voice prating barely coherently for three hours is a bit too much to ask (Drudge’s rant against me after he cut off my phone call is a prime example of one of Drudge’s hilariously incoherent rants). I wanted an explanation from Drudge as to why he didn’t bother to apologize for or even retract his “scoop” on the Drudge Report that Ken Lay slept over in the White House during the Clinton administration. Drudge’s misinformation was picked up by the usual suspects in talk radio as well as by reputable media outlets such as the Chicago Tribune and the New York Times (click here for a detailed analysis). Drudge not only did nothing to help set the record straight, but he didn’t even make a retraction for his original misstatement. Apparently moving on after starting a false rumor spread to tens of millions is Drudge’s idea of journalistic responsibility. So I called his show to see what he had to say about it. The following is a transcript of our conversation:

DRUDGE: Let’s go back to the board. Line one; you’re on the air with Drudge.

SCOOBIE: Hey Drudge, this is Scoobie here, man. I just wanted to compliment you on your Enron coverage.

DRUDGE: Oh, oh, thank you. Yes, it’s very stimulating, isn’t it?

SCOOBIE: Yes, especially—

DRUDGE: Why don’t you—well, you can take over the show and you can do thirty minutes of Enron coverage and we’ll see if you have one damn listener at the end of that thirty minutes.

SCOOBIE: Yes, yes, it’s true—

DRUDGE: Why don’t you try? The floor is yours.

SCOOBIE: Well, I’ll tell you. I especially—

DRUDGE: Go ahead. The floor is yours. You’ve now got thirteen Western states. Proceed, sir.

SCOOBIE: Okay, I think it’s especially newsworthy—your scoop about Ken Lay staying in the Clinton White House, especially when you didn’t bother to retract it and you let others to think that also.

[PAUSE]

SCOOBIE: Hello

[PAUSE]

SCOOBIE: (Louder) Helllloooo

[PAUSE]

SCOOBIE: [this part was muted by Drudge on the radio leading to about four seconds of dead air] Where’s Drudge? Hello. (laughing) There’s no Drudge.

[DRUDGE DISCONNECTS SCOOBIE AND DOES AN INCOHERENT RANT]