Ma sugli elettori democratici la talk radio ha pesato

Un altro contributo al dibattito sull'impatto che la talk radio ha avuto sul risultato elettorale negli Stati Uniti. La newsletter quotidiana TR-I, ospitata sul sito di Radio-Info, ospita il parere di Donna Halper, storica e sociologa della radio americana. Che sostiene che nel caso degli elettori democratici, la "nuova talk radio liberal ha avuto un notevole influsso e inaspettato. Se a destra i vari Savage, Limbaugh e Hannity hanno sostanzialmente fallito, a sinistra commentatori come Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller (una sorta di Sabina Guzzanti a stelle e strisce) e Rachel Maddow (del rinato network democratico AirAmerica, qui mentre intervista il futuro President Elect), sono stati molto convincenti.

“Leftie talkers helped to get Obama elected.”

Donna Halper’s a Boston-based radio historian and assistant professor at Lesley University in Cambridge – and a T- R-I reader – and she leaps into the debate about whether radio had any effect on last week’s election. One reader thought conservative talkers like Rush and Hannity didn’t do much to sway opinion. But Halper says “I truly believe the results of the 2008 election proved that progressive talkers like Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller and Rachel Maddow (along with TV progressives like Keith Olbermann) made a major difference. They put forth the liberal point of view in a way that was absent from 2000 and 2004…Despite predictions of the demise of progressive talk, and despite some of the well-documented problems, progressive talk is still around, and since 2004, a number of individual hosts have continued to build a name for themselves, turn a profit, and above all, give the progressive viewpoint a chance to be heard. While these progressive hosts may not be on as many stations as, let's say, Limbaugh or Hannity, their value was that they were able to operate on several levels - doing their radio show, but also being pundits on Larry King Live or on the late night shows like Letterman or Leno. With that increased exposure, they were able to refute conservative talking points on a regular basis. Thus, my belief is that leftie talkers helped to get Obama elected.”