The outrage industry : political opinion media and the new incivility / Jeffrey M. Berry and Sarah Sobieraj.

"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 ... and 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"--

Includes bibliographies and index.

Cover; The Outrage Industry: Political Opinion Mediaand the New Incivility; Copyright; Dedication; CONTENTS; ACKNOWLEDGMENTS; The Outrage Industry; CHAPTER 1:Outrage; OUTRAGE AS A GENRE; WHAT'S NEW ABOUT THE NEW INCIVILITY?; EXPLAINING THE CHANGE; OUTRAGE AS AN INDUSTRY; THE OUTRAGE INDUSTRY AND THE PUBLIC SPHERE; THE PATH FORWARD; PLAN OF THE BOOK; NOTES; CHAPTER 2: Mapping Outrage in Blogs, Talk Radio, and Cable News; POLITICAL INCIVILITY; MAPPING OUTRAGE; HOW MUCH OUTRAGE IS THERE?; WHICH FORMS OF OUTRAGE ARE MOST PERVASIVE?; ARE LIBERALS OR CONSERVATIVES MORE OUTRAGEOUS?

DIFFERENCES ACROSS MEDIALISTENING IN; Nazis, Fascists, and Racists: Unveiling the Enemies; No One Looks Good in a Hitler Moustache; McCarthy's Resurrection; Racists Are Everywhere (Else); Don't Trust a Word Th ey Say; CHANGE OR MORE OF THE SAME?; THE INADEQUACIES OF INCIVILITY; NOTES; CHAPTER 3:The Perfect Storm; BEFORE THE STORM; THE PERFECT STORM; The Changing Media Landscape; Deregulation and Concentration; Proliferation: Infotainment, Niche Markets, and Formulas; Democratization: Erasing Barriers to Entry; Radio: A Case Study in Convergence; ROUGH WATERS; NOTES; CHAPTER 4:It's a Business.

PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATIONSimilar, Not Diff erent; The Entrepreneurial Spirit; PROFITABILITY; Mad Men; Trust Me; GROWING THE BUSINESS; Brand Identity; Extending the Brand; COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE; "Be Self-Deprecating, Be Polarizing"; Vague Limits; COMPETITION AND SUCCESS; NOTES; CHAPTER 5: Political Anxiety andOutrage Fandom; SELECTIVE EXPOSURE AND OUTRAGE; SEEING WHAT FANS SEE; THE AVERSION TO POLITICAL CONVERSATION; SAFE POLITICAL TALK; Social Connection, Not Social Exclusion; Feeling Educated Rather than Ill-Informed; Validated Instead of Challenged; THE COMFORT ZONE.

COMPLICATING POLITICAL TALKNOTES; CHAPTER 6:Mobilizing Outrage; STEEPING; Mad as Hell; Tea Drinking White Elephants; A Whiter Shade of Pale; LOOSELY STRUCTURED; THE EXPLOSION; SPEAK HARSHLY AND CARRY A BIG STICK; Primary Structure; Outrage as Signaling; Round Two: 2012; ELECTIONS IN AN OUTRAGEOUS ENVIRONMENT; PARTNERS; NOTES; CHAPTER 7:Continuity, Change, Synergy; POLARIZATION IN CONGRESS; The Push for Orthodoxy; Changing Media Mix; Party Recruitment; Monitoring; A Credible Signal? A Credible Th reat?; AGENDA SETTING; Issue Focus; Reframing; PARTY RATIONALITY; Is Demography Destiny?

ImmigrationPulled Off Center; OUTRAGE AS A LOBBYING STRATEGY; SYNERGY; NOTES; CHAPTER 8:The Future of Outrage; CONFLICTING METRICS OF SUCCESS; The Expansion of the Public Sphere; Outrage and Democratic Life; RESISTANCE, INDUSTRY LIMITS, AND THE FUTURE OF OUTRAGE; Not Everyone Loves Outrage; Public Unease; Ambassadors of Civility; The Satire Circuit; THE LIMITS OF OUTRAGE; Boycotts and Advertiser Anxieties; Regulation and the Courts; A Market for Conventional Political Opinion?; THE FUTURE OF OUTRAGE?; SOME PARTING RECOMMENDATIONS; NOTES; APPENDI X:Methods Appendix.

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