What does Matt Drudge have in common with ancient Roman poet Horace?

Today Matt Drudge posted a thank you on his Website The Drudge Report. Drudge said August, 2008,  was the most-visited month in his site’s 13-year history. The figures he cited would make any publisher drool—the page loaded 614,577,960 times, with 14,163,025 uniques. This smashed his previous high set in March. Drudge saw something early on that many in media didn't see; he was sort of like the ancient Roman poet Horace in that regard.

I confess an intellectual crush on Drudge. I’ve followed him for his entire 13-year history. I still remember when I’d mention The Drudge Report and fellow writers would say, “Whassat?” Nobody asks me that anymore. I’d love to interview the guy—for one thing, he should be written up for posterity (other than the open source encyclopedia entry). Drudge took a simple concept and transformed the news. He’s stayed true to his brand, collecting interesting headlines from around the world and penning a scoop himself when warranted.

I pitched him to one editor of a national who told me, “We have to stay away from politics.” Sad, that. I figure it’s the readers’ loss.

I compare Drudge to Horace, a Roman poet born around 62 BCE. Horace introduced Greek meter into Latin verse, and there’s even an ode where he tells the reader he knows he’ll be remembered. Isn't that amazing, that this long-dead poet is telling me something now, thousands of years later,  and it's accurate?  I’ve thumbed through Horace’s odes for many years—his take on the witch Canidia intrigued me even when I was in high school. Horace is well-remembered.

I figure Matt Drudge will be too. Many years from now some dedicated journalism student will be doing research, and Drudge is sure to be mentioned in any piece written about media in the future, as the first to see and capitalize on the potential, power and scope of the Internet in mass media.  Just like Horace, a visionary.

[Text by Kay B. Day]