For those who think Democracy should be
a collaborative experience.
April 6, 2008
Air America Radio suspension of host Randi Rhodes raises communication questions
Air America Radio’s suspension of talk show host Randi Rhodes stirred anger among her fans, drew cheers among her detractors. As a communication author and teacher, I herald it as an example I hope other outlets follow.
If you’re asking, “Randi who?”, she’s a liberal talk show host who is generally considered smart, outspoken and often caustic. Air America Radio suspended her last week for calling Hillary Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro “f*&#%^$ whores.”
To me, this kind of language is indefensible, but there are plenty of people who try. If you follow the discussions whenever a media figure gets suspended for poor word choice, you get the impression that you have to be disrespectful in order to disagree. The real issue of Rhodes suspension is whether you condone calling public figures F&%#& whores. It doesn’t matter how you feel about Clinton or how you feel about Rhodes. Either you approve of this kind of attack or you don’t.
Air America’s press release read:
“Air America has suspended on-air host Randi Rhodes for making inappropriate statements about prominent figures, including Senator Hillary Clinton, at a recent public appearance on behalf of Air America in San Francisco which was sponsored by an Air America affiliate station. ‘Air America encourages strong opinions about public affairs but does not condone such abusive, ad hominem language by our Hosts.”
To ignore this kind of vulgarity is to condone it. I know, I know, it sells. Randi Rhodes commanded high ratings. I predict she will command higher ratings if she returns to the air, keeping her feisty nature but losing her vulgar tirades. I predict she would keep her current fan base and gain a new base of people who like their commentary to be clear without being caustic and corrosive.
If you’ve read any of my books you know my philosophy is to say what you mean, and mean what you say, without being mean when you say it. Practice that yourself, and then hold the people you support to the same standards. Advocate clear, substantive dialogue from the candidates and media outlets you support.
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Related posts which may interest you
- Firestorms over show hosts Imus, Shuster and Rhodes’ suspensions illustrate confusion over aggression and assertiveness
- Women in politics ~ a more collaborative approach
- Get real ~ Unintended transparency
- Old school politics ~ Obama supporters vs. Clinton haters
- Get real ~ You can wish your candidate had more experience AND still support him or her
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I see this as a corporate attack on free speech. I’ve stopped listening to Air America since this has happened. I don’t agree with the way Rhodes’ worded some of her comments, but that is a trivial issue compared to how corporations try to dictate every aspect of our lives. If we don’t want to live in a fascist state, we are going to have to fight back.
Comment by libhomo — April 7, 2008 @ 7:13 am