CLICK & DOUBLE CLICK: INTERNET PLAYED MAJOR ROLE IN UNFOLDING INTERN SCANDAL

The role of the Internet in society is forever debated. Should you use it to make purchases? How safe are the chat rooms? Why can't pornography be regulated? Should sites charge admission? The controversy rages on and on.

This past week, the Internet was at the heart of an unfolding scandal involving the President of the United States.

Basically, from what we can surmise Newsweek was working on this story for about a year, but got cold feet when it came time to publish. The story about Monica Lewinsky then first surfaced on a widely read, but somewhat unreliable Internet gossip site called the Drudge Report.

The Washington Post saw it there and proceeded with its own story, breaking its story on the Internet. Newsweek, which was scooped and past publication time, then put its story on the Internet.

The whole Internet is blazing with the controversy with links to headlines around the globe. There are stories, photos, audio and video clips.

A first logical first stop is Newsweek, since they had been working on the story.

www.newsweek.com

Or you can try sister publication

www.washingtonpost.com

Joni: A week before Christmas Linda Tripp and Monica Lewinsky had been subpoenaed in the Paula Jones trial. Tripp tape recorded a conversation between the two women.

Peggy: At this site you can read excepts from the tape and Clinton's denials. On Monday, you could talk to the Clinton biographer.

Joni: Did he do it? Read for yourself. That's one advantage of the Internet. There is no limitation of space or time that other media must contend with.

Peggy: From the Washington Post site you can read the Newsweek stories, including "Diary of a Scandal." Newsweek posted its online exclusive last Wednesday.

Joni: Another good source for political matters is a joint site between CNN and Time magazine called

allpolitics.com

Peggy: Here you can read the player profiles. Who are these people? You can read about Lewinsky's leap from anonymity to news headlines. Did you realize she graduated with a degree in psychology? You can learn just about anything about her, including the fact that she's proficient in WordPerfect.

Joni: Here's information about Linda Tripp as well. According to CNN and Time, she was among the last people to see Vince Foster alive and was a source for un-substantiated allegations about George Bush's private life.

Peggy: For those looking for the lighter side of the scandal, you can read the jokes from late-night comedians. You can also find message boards and chat rooms or take a poll. There's also video and audio on demand, including a 22-minute interview with Lewinsky's lawyer.

Joni: You would think, by the extent of this coverage, this is what everyone has been working on.

Peggy: Lewinsky has her own online fan club

members.aol.com/monifan/index.html

Joni: The page is pink. Is that Revlon pink? Another weird way the Internet fit into this story was a piece the Detroit New did based on Lewinsky's AOL member profile. The page has since been removed, but you can see the story the Detroit News wrote at

detnews.com/1998/nation/9801/22/01220191.htm

Or you can link to this page from the fan club page.

Peggy: The fan club also has links to Revlon, where she almost got a job; Lewis and Clark College, her alma mater; Subaru, her vehicle of choice; and Packard Bell, her computer before the FBI took it.

Joni: If you want to take a look at the story that started it all on Matt Drudge's report. He posted his first Lewinsky story Jan. 18. Be warned, it's tough to get in this busy site.

www.drudgereport.com

The site is very dull with just a lot of line links to news sources from around the world.

Peggy: The report keeps track of hits to the page. On an average day, it gets 30,000 to 40,000. It soared to over 300,000 hits over the weekend.

Joni: This isn't a story just being played out in the United States. International media are following it closely. It receives top billing on the Internet edition of the London Times. You have to register to read anything here.

www.the-times.co.uk

Peggy: The Brits always appreciate a good sex scandal. You can read more about their take on the story at the BBC online.

www.bbc.co.uk

Joni: The BBC offers audio and video clips. And they have assembled a round-up of world media comment.

Peggy: You can read the BBC's account of the Internet's role.

Joni: They point out that the Internet played a role in the nanny trial and in bringing conspiracy theories concerning the crash of Flight 800, but this is the first time such a significant story developed on the Internet. It may be a sign of the changing times.

Peggy: The BBC says, "In the future, academics, politicians and journalists aren't likely to dismiss the Internet so quickly." The verdict is still out.

Joni: What's your favorite politics site on the Internet? E-mail us at click@semissourian.com

See you in Cyberspace.

Joni Adams and Peggy Scott are members of the Southeast Missourian online staff.