The Rush Limbaugh Show: A Cautionary Tale for Audio Journalists
Rush Limbaugh’s inflammatory conservative rhetoric was infamous among many. Photo by Gage Skidmore.
Over a month after the death of prominent conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, many are still reflecting on his impact. For some, he was a beacon of hope, eschewing societal norms by being heavily provocative on the radio. For others, Limbaugh was a quintessential example of the discrimination, obscenity, and cruelty that plagues the airwaves. Regardless, Limbaugh’s capacity to harness the power of audio journalism to fulfill his political aspirations is indisputable – he fundamentally altered the political landscape while promoting a far-right ideology to the masses. The Rush Limbaugh Show revolutionized audio journalism, and in turn, strengthened the alt-right movement in America today.
To understand Limbaugh and the impact that he had on both conservative ideology and audio journalism, it is important to first understand the FCC’s fairness doctrine. This policy, formulated in 1949, required broadcasters to provide equal coverage of controversial issues from both sides of the political spectrum. However, the fairness doctrine was repealed in 1987 over widespread concern that it violated the right to free speech. One year later, The Rush Limbaugh Show debuted. Limbaugh took full advantage of the lack of regulation, as well as his previous experience as a DJ. He utilized the lack of regulation to not only portray a one-sided, ultra-conservative perspective, but also to foment white nationalism, sexism, racism, and other forms of discrimination. He used his unregulated platform to coin the term ‘feminazi,’ make racial-stereotype “jokes” after Obama’s election, contending that Black individuals did not belong in positions of power, and air an entire segment dedicated to mocking AIDS victims. Limbaugh’s death beckons us to reconsider the efficacy and impact of his intimate style of audio journalism that brought fringe conversations into the limelight.
Limbaugh was not the sole pioneer of politicized talk radio. Predecessors like Barry Farber, Jerry Williams, and Larry King discussed politics with their listeners. However, unlike his contemporaries, Limbaugh didn’t support specific policies or candidates as much as he weaponized misogyny, racism, and homophobia. The conversational nature of Limbaugh’s show offered many conservatives with similar beliefs an outlet where they could be both seen and heard. The “unguested confrontation” style, where he expresses disagreement with individuals that are not necessarily present on the show, was not popular before Limbaugh, mainly because it was often difficult to keep an audience entertained solely with conversations between callers and the host. Limbaugh’s unique style resulted in a major fanbase that was attracted not only to his extreme politics, but also the newfound way that he conveyed them.
As Limbaugh indoctrinated viewers with far-right principles, he was simultaneously altering the audio journalism industry forever. Because of his extensive previous experience with radio broadcasting, Limbaugh was able to use his musical and entertainment knowledge to augment his politicized tirades. Rock and roll music was combined with alt-right political thought, delivered by a man with unapologetic charisma and personality. Through his broadcasts, Limbaugh often tuned listeners in to the pain of fellow Americans, doing so not to raise awareness, but rather to amuse his listeners who shared his beliefs. In spreading this kind of hate, Limbaugh altered the expectations for conservative media. He also inspired other conservatives to enter the field of audio journalism. His journalistic style encouraged a variety of conservative individuals, from Mike Pence to Kayleigh McEnany. Because of the success Limbaugh gained from his show, others wanted to capitalize on the positive response to the shocking nature of Limbaugh’s expressed beliefs.
Audio journalism, like talk radio, offers a kind of media that feels personal – someone is literally speaking right into a listener’s ear. Limbaugh used this to his advantage. He spoke directly to his audience and praised them for their conservativism.
“Conservatism, I believe, happens to be what happens when people behave according to a certain moral code, a certain sense of right and wrong, people that are accepting responsibility for themselves,” Limbaugh said on his show in 2016. Conservatism is what happens when you're a good citizen.”
Clearly, this praise had an effect – Limbaugh regularly had an audience of approximately 14.25 million listeners, 80 percent of whom self-identified as conservatives. With Limbaugh’s constant praise of alt-right ideology on the air and in the ears of massive numbers of conservative Americans, many conservative extremists felt more comfortable sharing their own beliefs. Millions of Americans were obsessed with Limbaugh, not in spite of the hate that he preached, but because of it.
Audio journalism today can easily fall into the trap of using pain to entertain, with personality and charisma masking dangerous beliefs. In a format that lends itself to personal stories, it becomes difficult to draw the line between recounting an experience to raise awareness and doing so for listeners to consume for their own benefit. Moreover, when it feels like someone is speaking directly to a listener and developing a relationship with them through week after week of constant content, they begin to trust them more.
As an audio journalist myself, both inside and outside of Columbia, I often have to confront these aspects of the format. While we are storytellers, we also have an ethical expectation to use audio journalism to uplift the stories of marginalized groups, not to exploit the tragedies of other human beings for entertainment and personal benefit. We as a community need to recognize the power that a format as intimate and personal as audio journalism has. In using this medium, the audio journalism community has an even stronger responsibility to speak factually and carefully about topics. Limbaugh often blurred these lines, using the nature of audio journalism to intentionally advance alt-right ideologies, in addition to perpetuating misogyny and racism.
Limbaugh’s death serves as a reminder of something of which we often lose sight: audio journalism has immense power. We must be wary of that, and wield it with care and compassion.
Natalie Goldberg is a junior editor for CPR and a first year Columbia College student, studying Political Science and Creative Writing. She hopes to have a career in journalism.