Rushed to Judgment: Talk Radio, Persuasion, and American Political Behavior (Power, Conflict, and Democracy: American Politics Into the 21st Century)

Книга Rushed to Judgment? Rushed to Judgment?Книги Экономика Автор: David Barker Год издания: 2002 Формат: pdf Издат.:Columbia University Press Страниц: 141 Размер: 1 Mb ISBN: 0231118066 Язык: Английский0 (голосов: 0) Оценка:Convenient, entertaining, and provocative, talk radio today is unapologetically ideological. Focusing on Rush Limbaugh -- the medium's most influential talk show -- Rushed to Judgment systematically examines the politics of persuasion at play on our nation's radio airwaves and asks a series of important questions. Does listening to talk radio change the way people think about politics, or are listeners' attitudes a function of the self-selecting nature of the audience? Does talk radio enhance understanding of public issues or serve as a breeding ground for misunderstanding? Can talk radio serve as an agent of deliberative democracy, spurring Americans to open, public debate? Or will talk radio only aggravate the divisive partisanship many Americans decry in poll after poll? The time is ripe to evaluate the effects of a medium whose influence has yet to be fully reckoned with. Contents......Page 8 List of Figures......Page 12 List of Tables......Page 14 Acknowledgments......Page 16 1 Introduction......Page 20 Political Persuasion, Propaganda, and Media Effects......Page 23 Persuasion Variables......Page 25 Media Effects......Page 26 Heresthetic......Page 29 The Construction of Political Meaning......Page 31 2 Political Talk Radio and Its Most Prominent Practitioner......Page 33 Background......Page 34 Format......Page 36 Media Portrayal......Page 37 Audience......Page 38 Content......Page 42 Limbaugh......Page 43 Summary......Page 47 3 Toward a Value Heresthetic Model of Political Persuasion......Page 49 A Model of Value Heresthetic, Rhetoric, and Persuasion Through Talk Radio......Page 53 Experimental Analysis......Page 59 Recruitment and Subject Profile......Page 60 Specific Procedures......Page 62 The Stimuli......Page 63 Specific Hypotheses......Page 64 Selection Bias?......Page 65 Results......Page 66 Discussion......Page 72 4 Talk Radio, Public Opinion, and Vote Choice: The “Limbaugh Effect,” 1994–96......Page 75 Methodological Issues......Page 77 Limbaugh and Public Opinion—Cross-sectional Evidence......Page 78 Two-Stage Least-Squares Analysis......Page 81 Limbaugh and Opinion Change—Panel Evidence......Page 87 Support for Dole......Page 90 Vote Choice......Page 91 Conclusion......Page 92 5 Talk Radio, Opinion Leadership, and Presidential Nominations: Evidence from the 2000 Republican Primary Battle......Page 94 Vote Choice in Primary Elections......Page 95 The Struggle for the 2000 Republican Presidential Nomination......Page 97 Dependent Variables......Page 99 Findings......Page 102 Sophistication......Page 107 Discussion......Page 109 6 The Talk Radio Community: Nontraditional Social Networks and Political Participation......Page 111 The Efficacy-Priming Experiment......Page 113 Experimental Results......Page 116 Constructing Reality from Pseudosocial Networks......Page 118 Measurement......Page 119 Results: Political Efficacy......Page 120 Results: Participation......Page 122 Discussion......Page 123 7 Information, Misinformation, and Political Talk Radio......Page 125 The Sample......Page 128 Measurement of Dependent Variables......Page 130 Intercorrelations and Model Specification......Page 133 Political Talk Radio and Information......Page 134 Political Talk Radio and Misinformation......Page 135 Discussion......Page 136 8 Conclusion......Page 138 Understanding Political Persuasion......Page 139 Deliberative Democracy......Page 142 Media Effects......Page 145 Appendix A. The Limbaugh Message......Page 148 Appendix B. Excerpts from the Rhetoric Stimulus......Page 150 Appendix C. Excerpts from the Value Heresthetic Stimulus......Page 152 Notes......Page 154 References......Page 160 C......Page 176 F......Page 177 H......Page 178 L......Page 179 M......Page 180 P......Page 181 S......Page 182 V......Page 183 Z......Page 184 Contents 8 List of Figures 12 List of Tables 14 Acknowledgments 16 1 Introduction 20 Political Persuasion, Propaganda, and Media Effects 23 Persuasion Variables 25 Media Effects 26 Heresthetic 29 The Construction of Political Meaning 31 2 Political Talk Radio and Its Most Prominent Practitioner 33 Background 34 Format 36 Media Portrayal 37 Audience 38 Content 42 Limbaugh 43 Summary 47 3 Toward a Value Heresthetic Model of Political Persuasion 49 A Model of Value Heresthetic, Rhetoric, and Persuasion Through Talk Radio 53 Experimental Analysis 59 Recruitment and Subject Profile 60 Specific Procedures 62 The Stimuli 63 Specific Hypotheses 64 Selection Bias? 65 Results 66 Discussion 72 4 Talk Radio, Public Opinion, and Vote Choice: The “Limbaugh Effect,” 1994–96 75 Methodological Issues 77 Limbaugh and Public Opinion—Cross-sectional Evidence 78 Two-Stage Least-Squares Analysis 81 Limbaugh and Opinion Change—Panel Evidence 87 Support for Dole 90 Vote Choice 91 Conclusion 92 5 Talk Radio, Opinion Leadership, and Presidential Nominations: Evidence from the 2000 Republican Primary Battle 94 Vote Choice in Primary Elections 95 The Struggle for the 2000 Republican Presidential Nomination 97 Research Design and Methodology 99 The Sample 99 Dependent Variables 99 Independent and Control Variables 102 Findings 102 Sophistication 107 Discussion 109 6 The Talk Radio Community: Nontraditional Social Networks and Political Participation 111 The Efficacy-Priming Experiment 113 Experimental Results 116 Constructing Reality from Pseudosocial Networks 118 Measurement 119 Results: Political Efficacy 120 Results: Participation 122 Discussion 123 7 Information, Misinformation, and Political Talk Radio 125 Research Design and Methodology 128 The Sample 128 Measurement of Dependent Variables 130 Intercorrelations and Model Specification 133 Findings 134 Political Talk Radio and Information 134 Political Talk Radio and Misinformation 135 Discussion 136 8 Conclusion 138 Understanding Political Persuasion 139 Deliberative Democracy 142 Media Effects 145 Appendix A. The Limbaugh Message 148 Appendix B. Excerpts from the Rhetoric Stimulus 150 Appendix C. Excerpts from the Value Heresthetic Stimulus 152 Notes 154 References 160 Index 176 A 176 B 176 C 176 D 177 E 177 F 177 G 178 H 178 I 179 J 179 K 179 L 179 M 180 N 181 O 181 P 181 R 182 S 182 T 183 U 183 V 183 W 184 Z 184 This book systematically examines the manner and extent to which listening to talk radio results in persuasion. The focus is on the medium's ringleader—Rush Limbaugh—the talk show host with the largest audience by far. Convenient, entertaining, and provocative, talk radio today is unapologetically ideological. Focusing on Rush Limbaugh—the medium's most influential talk show—__Rushed to Judgment__ systematically examines the politics of persuasion at play on our nation's radio airwaves and asks a series of important questions. Does listening to talk radio change the way people think about politics, or are listeners' attitudes a function of the self-selecting nature of the audience? Does talk radio enhance understanding of public issues or serve as a breeding ground for misunderstanding? Can talk radio serve as an agent of deliberative democracy, spurring Americans to open, public debate? Or will talk radio only aggravate the divisive partisanship many Americans decry in poll after poll? The time is ripe to evaluate the effects of a medium whose influence has yet to be fully reckoned with.