The Outrage Industry: Political Opinion Media and the New Incivility - Rilegato

Berry, Jeffrey M.; Sobieraj, Sarah

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0199928975 ISBN 13: 9780199928972

Casa editrice: OUP USA, 2014

Riassunto

In early 2012, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh claimed that Sandra Fluke, a Georgetown University law student who advocated for insurance coverage of contraceptives, "wants to be paid to have sex." Over the next few days, Limbaugh attacked Fluke personally, often in crude terms, while a powerful backlash grew, led by organizations such as the National Organization for Women. But perhaps what was most notable about the incident was that it wasn't unusual. From Limbaugh's venomous attacks on Fluke to liberal radio host Mike Malloy's suggestion that Bill O'Reilly "drink a vat of poison... Land choke to death," over-the-top discourse in today's political opinion media is pervasive.

Anyone who observes the skyrocketing number of incendiary political opinion shows on television and radio might conclude that political vitriol on the airwaves is fueled by the increasingly partisan American political system. But in The Outrage Industry Jeffrey M. Berry and Sarah Sobieraj show how the proliferation of outrage-the provocative, hyperbolic style of commentary delivered by hosts like Ed Schultz, Bill O'Reilly, and Sean Hannity- says more about regulatory, technological, and cultural changes, than it does about our political inclinations.

Berry and Sobieraj tackle the mechanics of outrage rhetoric, exploring its various forms such as mockery, emotional display, fear mongering, audience flattery, and conspiracy theories. They then investigate the impact of outrage rhetoric-which stigmatizes cooperation and brands collaboration and compromise as weak-on a contemporary political landscape that features frequent straight-party voting in Congress. Outrage tactics have also facilitated the growth of the Tea Party, a movement which appeals to older, white conservatives and has dragged the GOP farther away from the demographically significant moderates whose favor it should be courting. Finally, The Outrage Industry examines how these shows sour our own political lives, exacerbating anxieties about political talk and collaboration in our own communities. Drawing from a rich base of evidence, this book forces all of us to consider the negative consequences that flow from our increasingly hyper-partisan political media.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

Jeffrey Berry and Sarah Sobieraj have written an important book about a phenomenon that has been a major contributor to partisan conflict and gridlock in Washington in recent years-the development of an increasingly hyperbolic, emotional and negative style of media commentary. The Outrage Industry will be must reading for anyone who wants to understand why our political system is so dysfunctional. (Alan Abramowitz, Alben W. Barkley Professor of Political Science, Emory University)

illuminating in a number of ways (Todd Gitlin, Social Forces)

L'autore:

Jeffrey M. Berry is John Richard Skuse Professor of Political Science at Tufts University. Sarah Sobieraj is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Tufts University.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: OUP USA
• Data di pubblicazione: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0199928975
• ISBN 13: 9780199928972
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 288