Tune into any major news network during primetime, be it MSNBC or Fox News, and it’s likely you’ll encounter some sort of talk-show host (someone spending the duration of his or her on-air time not just reporting the news but also offering a no-holds-barred opinion of it). Talk radio is, arguably, the slightly less attractive older sister of that political talk-show television programming. A forum primarily dominated by far right-wing conservatives, talk radio is the passion and lifeblood of progressive-talker and writer Bill Press, and in his book “Toxic Talk: How the Radical Right Has Poisoned America’s Airwaves,” he explores not only how this situation came to be but also points out the major players responsible for debasing commercial radio.
In “Toxic Talk,” Press dedicates a chapter to each of, in his opinion, the most vile talk radio hosts in the industry: Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and Michael Savage. He basically sets them up and knocks them down, as he points out just some of the many, many false accusations made and fallacies told by these individuals. He goes on to discuss the aforementioned TV stars who veer extremely far to the right and names the people on the second and third tiers of radio fame who are doing their parts to shock and misinform their loyal listeners.
Contrary to how it seems, Press is far from biased in his discussion of the right-wing blowhards mucking up the airwaves. His argument is not that these individuals shouldn’t be allowed to voice their opinions, but that they are doing so with a hateful, malicious voice, and they completely discourage and, in fact, cower away from any sort of honest, open debate. Let’s not forget these hosts are the same sycophants who placed the blame on the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre and Hurricane Katrina. His tolerance is proven in his conclusion, where he advocates not abolishment of the right, but growth and solidarity on the left.
“Toxic Talk” is a well-researched, downright fair portrayal of the current state of affairs in talk radio. Press is not a man out to get the GOP, but a man who wants to expose the viral pattern of behavior that has developed on the right, where talk show hosts are leading the politicians, not the other way around. In all actuality, Press points out, this toxic talk is shaping the rhetoric of the Republican party in an extreme and negative way, a way that will not benefit conservative politicians in the end.
Some of the material in the book is a bit redundant, but that’s simply because these windbags tend to regurgitate all of the same ludicrous and invalid talking points. In addition to exposing the untruths told by the right, Press also offers a fresh voice and a history of talk radio. He explores how satellite radio and the iPhone are evening the playing field for progressive talkers, and he finishes with a refreshingly non-hateful call to action on the left.
“Toxic Talk” is an imperative read for political junkies and even the more apathetic, written by a passionate man disheartened by how vicious and one-sided talk radio has become.
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