A study conducted by the National Hispanic Media Coalition and UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center has uncovered evidence that “conservative talk-radio programs contribute to increasing hatred against certain minorities.”
No…really?
The researchers analyzed the themes and content of “The Rush Limbaugh Show,” “The Sean Hannity Show,” “The Glenn Beck Program,” “The Savage Nation” and “The John and Ken Show,” and produced a report titled “Social Networks for Hate Speech.” They concluded that the content and the guest lineups promoted hatred against ethnic, racial, religious groups and the LGBT community.
Despite the fact that a Fox News personality, Sean Hannity, featured prominently in the study, Fox News neglected to do a report on it. Fox News Latino did carry a story posted by the Spanish news agency EFE, but you would have had to dig to find that.
Interestingly, it didn’t take any effort at all to find out that Hannity had done his own examination of talk radio’s hateful rhetoric a few months ago, and guess where he found all of the caustic talk.
The program was a one-sided harangue against liberals with Hannity’s guest, the notorious and unapologetic racist, Pat Buchanan. It’s safe to say that this program may not have been as rigorously academic as the study by the NHMC and UCLA.
Can you be a bit more specific about what is actually hate speech? I realize you are citing another study and not your own and it could be argued that there is hatred toward Liberals, but in the short time I have to listen to any of these guys, I don’t recall even a general hatred toward minorities. I was going to write what I think you are suggesting is hate speech, but I would prefer you tell me. I have my theories, but I could be and honestly hope I’m wrong about what I think you believe constitutes hate speech, but I bet I’m not wrong.
Ok, since there are no takers – here is what I’ve observed is “liberal” defined hate speech:
Any speech related to minorities or some other group (those considered sacred to guys like you) that doesn’t adhere to liberal political opinion.
Like I said several times, the people of this county have a lot more to fear from you with respect to their freedoms than they have to fear from conservatives.
It’s a set up, I tell ya. A rigged game.
hahahahahahaha Steve in York, you are such a comedian! Really, are you an intern paid to troll the interwebs to put your “insightful” conservative comments on blogs that lean left?
If not, do you really need to know what hate speech is?
(btw – no one who comes to this site takes you very seriously… so it’s not surprising there are no takers to “dialogue” with you)
It makes about as much sense to call radio broadcasting “social networks” as it would be to call television broadcasting the same. The term “social network” is obviously new and technology driven, and would seem to have as an integral part of it’s definition, people communicating back and forth. That doesn’t describe radio broadcasting. Also, no “social network” requires an FCC License as radio broadcasters do. That right there is the single most important thing about what these political radio broadcasters are doing, they are not “tweeting” or “texting”, which is something you can do (it’s called “social networking”), they are broadcasting on the radio, which is something you can’t do, because you don’t have and could never get, an FCC License.
Examples of true hate:
Mike Malloy stated one day after the assassination of Osama Bin Laden that Navy SEAL Team 6 should now do the same thing to President Bush.
Randi Rhodes said that President Bush should be treated just like Fredo in “The Godfather, Part II” – i.e. take him out on a fishing boat and blow his brains out.
Ed Schultz said that somebody should “rip Dick Cheney’s heart out, stomp on it and stick it back in his chest”.
Stephanie Miller laughed her head off when some alleged comedienne “joked” about kicking both Rush Limbaugh and Michelle Malkin in the crotch.
Bill Press spewed twice on his show that John Boehner deserves to be struck dead by lightning.
That’s just a sample of left-wing radio spew, boys and girls. So if that study doesn’t cover the examples I just brought up, then the study is just worthless partisan hackery and hypocrisy.
Actually, that’s not what the study was about. Those are examples of people being jerks. It exists on both side and is very different than hate speech that is directed “against ethnic, racial, religious groups and the LGBT community.”
Being a jerk is not the same as generalized bigotry or fomenting hate against an entire group of people.
“…examples of people being jerks…”
Those talkers that I just mentioned all spewed death-wish comments. That goes way beyond being a jerk. That is just flat-out evil.
If the instances you cite are accurate, (and I don’t know if they are) then I might agree with you. I would say, though, that the vast, and I mean VAST majority of hate speak, comes from the right. Simple math is at play here simply because most talk radio is made up of right-wing talkers. And they do it daily as a matter of normal practice. It’s what their listeners come for. When I hear lefties do it, it’s the exception.
The comments towards Bush and Boehner are over the top but Limbaugh and Malkin invented the practice and deserve the attention they receive. They ask for it.
From my perspective as a progressive, I cringe when I hear lefties do it, simply because I don’t think we should lower our standards to what the right-wing thinks is acceptable.
However, the comment you cite by Ed Schultz concerning Dick Cheney cannot be classified as hate speech; that would be called a favor.
Every one of those examples have been recorded and downloaded onto various websites – Ace of Spades, Cynical Nation, Radio Equalizer, etc. Again, these are all death-wish comments. The only right-wing talker whom I have ever heard spew that type of comment is Michael Savage. I refuse to listen to him – and all the other conservative talkers think he’s nuts.
“…Limbaugh and Malkin ask for it…”
No, they don’t. Nobody deserves comments like that.
“…can’t be classified as hate speech; that would be called a favor…”
Your sense of humor is sick. Thanks for illustrating my point once again.
The comments you cite concerning Limbaugh and Malkin (a kick in the groin) are not death-wish comments. That would be something akin to needing an ass kicking. Not even serious bodily harm.
And even right-wingers should appreciate any humor concerning jump starting Cheneys’ heart. You know he had a transplant right? He needs all the help he can get.
Simply if you don’t agree with the left it is hate speech. But the left can say any thing they want about the conservatives and that is ok
Like your blog. Have it bookmarked.
checkout the youtube video entitled ‘hate talk radio’ for a rnr critque of the rights propaganda machine .