Integrity now obsolete

It's not common for someone with incredible wealth and fame to risk their life serving their country. But that's what Prince Harry has been doing.

Until this week that is.

It was no secret that Harry had enlisted and was being sent overseas, but the media had agreed not to report any specifics about his service, which we now know was on the front lines in Afghanistan.

This was no problem for Matt Drudge, sworn enemy of integrity in the media. Drudge Report broke the story yesterday, and today Harry is headed back to merry old England.

Celebrities: Do not attempt to do anything heroic! Matt Drudge will out you, your presence will become a security threat, and you will promptly be sent home.

I'm sure Drudge will defend the report, saying something about reporting the truth and so forth. Nonsense. All this means to Matt Drudge is more readers, more money, and more notoriety.

I think Outside the Beltway's James Joyner probably put it best:

"Allowing Harry to do his duty outside the spotlight and without creating a high profile target for the Taliban is a noble gesture and far outweighs whatever “public right to know” that would have justified breaking the embargo."

It's a sad truth that these types of media embargoes will soon be impossible thanks to people like Drudge. It only takes one attention-hungry blogger to spill the beans.