Right Wing Talk Radio & TV

When a female intern, Lori Klausitis, turned up dead in the Florida office of U.S. Representative Joe Scarborough, and he did not seek re-election to Congress, many thought this congressman's career may be over, although the intern's death was by natural causes and had nothing to do with the congressman. But former Representative Scarborough reinvented a far more powerful career in right wing TV talk.

In Oregon, State Representative Jeff Koft, R-Sublimity, has not even waited to leave office to start a right wing talk radio career. In fact, there are two weeks of the legislature left, with many important votes on legislation, and Kroft is making far more money from right wing talk radio, and has offered little interest in returning to vote on many of the important issues being considered. Why Kroft even ran for office if he doesn't intend to tend to his duties is a very good question. And whether Kroft intends to run for office so he can miss more votes is also a good question. But the trend is clear. Right wing talk radio & TV pays very good.

But it's not missing votes by a legislator MIA, or high salaries by radio or TV celebrities that should be a concern to progressives. It's the false information and blatant racism that many right wing talk programs promote that should be a deep concern to progressive voters.

Two Portland State University Sociology Department members, Professor Jose A. Padin , and Shelley Smith, a Master's degree holder did a sociological profile of the content of right wing talk radio and uncovered some unsettling findings. That right wing talk radio promotes many unhealthy and wholly inaccurate stereotypes of immigrants, and becomes a forum that is heavily tilted towards White male callers espressing racist stereotypes that do not realistically represent racial groups in America. This very well tends to further discrimination and racism.

The Portland State Sociologists studied five programs that air right wing opinions. The Portland, Oregon broadcasts of Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage, and local programs of Lars Larson, of which Oregon State Representative, Jeff Kropf has been recently moonlighting from elective duties in a fill-in gig for vacationing Larson, and the Mark & Dave show. Four of these programs are associated with right wing talk radio, while the Mark & Dave Show is more of an entertainment oriented program, but right wing opinions do surface on this program , were each studied for content.

May 2005 unemployment statisics are 5.1% overall, with 4.4% unemployment among Whites, 6.0% among Hispanics, 3.9% among Asians, 10.1% among Blacks, 17.9% among teenagers, 4.4% among men, and 4.6% among women. Yet right wing talk radio tends to heavily mischaracterize minority groups. According to the analysis of Padin & Smith, about 93% of all references to immigration involve a discussion of "problems" with "illegals". The "Hispanic vote" and "radical Hispanic lobby" are commonly blamed items by callers. And according to right wing talk show hosts, immigrants are often characterized as "terrorists" in 32% of program segments. As a "cultural threat" in 27% of program segments. A group receiving "special rights" in 20% of program segments. An "economic drain" for America in 18% of program segments. A serious "crime threat" in 16% of program segments. And goverment is routinely attacked as not doing "enough" to prevent illegal immigrants in 39% of program segments. These right wing hosts lead the audience into a discussion that brings out and reinforces numerous statisically false and racist stereotypes by the callers to these programs.

And with Blacks, the right wing program hosts tend to lead a discussion claiming that racism is a thing of the past, and that Blacks are responsible for current racism. The "ACLU" is another common target, blamed for legal actions, although the ACLU usually deals with free expression or other civil liberties issues and not civil rights issues. And Muslims are seldom spoke of in respectful terms, the tiny minority of international extremists is mischaracterized to represent Muslims as "bloodthirsty savages", similar to the racist stereotype that were once used to misrepresent Native Americans, although many Native Americans such as the Navejo were always known for a very peaceful culture in American history.

One right wing talk show host, Michael Savage makes some pretty blatant racist statements. In referring to America, Savage states "Do we want it to more White?", and refers to imigrants as "invaders" and "women raped by invaders".

This is the nature of right wing talk radio. A cesspool of outright lies and misrepresentations of minorities and of immigrants. America is not a better place with this active "hate radio" promoted myths and falsehoods that cannot be substantiated by government statistics or by facts. The danger of right wing "hate radio" is to promote violence or other breakdown in civil order. And more and more, the Republican Party is not embracing the legacy of Abraham Lincoln who believed in the equality of all men, but embracing more and more racists as voters and as candidates for office. This is immoral and must be a very deep disappointment to God, who has created all mankind in his own image. Every human is a temple of God's spirit and is deserving of respect. There is a living part of God in every human. This is another fact that right wing radio does not understand.