Publish to Newswire
Add an EventFrom the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
Talk Radio and Hate Crimes: Is There a Connection
“Talk Radio and Hate Crimes: Is There a Connection” was the topic of a forum in Fresno attended by more than 190 people.
Peace Fresno
A Coalition of Community Activists
985 N Van Ness Avenue
Fresno, California 93728
559-237-3223
PRESS RELEASE
November 15, 2001
One hundred ninety students and community members attended the forum“Talk Radio And Hate Crimes: Is There A Connection?” on November 15th at Fresno City College.
Featured speakers included Captain Rene Martin, Commander of the Northeast Division and Hate Crimes Coordinator of the Fresno Police Department. He defined hate crimes and discussed their incidence in Fresno, identifying African -Americans and gays and lesbian as the most common victims.
Social psychologist Dr. Becky Slaton summarized research on the effects of persuasion and propaganda and explained the psychological processes involved in hate crimes. She said that perpetrators of hate crimes tend to think that society sanctions their actions, a belief that may be reinforced through the persuasive techniques of talk show hosts.
FCC professor and former talk show host Ruben Scott described the conditions under which a radio show might influence someone to commit a hate crime. He identified inflexible thinking as a prime danger.
Community activist Jim Bartram described attacks on minorities that he has heard on conservative talk radio. Bartram quoted talk show host Mike Savage as saying,“Internment was right for the Japanese and it is right for today.” Bartram challenged a common defense of talk radio-- that it is mere entertainment and thus not influential -- by pointing to the effectiveness of radio hosts’ advertising pitches.
Lawyer, educator, and former talk show host Ken Kay advocated for for the free exchange of ideas from all political perspectives and warned against the tyranny of “political correctness” while emphasizing the personal obligation of radio hosts not to speak “with hate in their hearts.”
Ghassan AbulGhanam, President of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, described his feelings of fear and alienation as anArab-American since September 11 and argued that the “clash” between Western and Middle-Eastern cultures is a myth.
During the second hour, audience members had the opportunity to question the panel. Ghassan AbulGhanam responded to an objection that talk radio is just entertainment by pointing out, “They used to throw Christians to the lions for entertainment.” While affirming broadcasters’ First Ammendment rights, Jim Bartram challenged advertisers to consider the content of programs and refuse to sponsor those that promote hatred. He criticized California State University, Fresno, for advertising on KMJ radio and broadcasting Bulldogs sports events on the station.
No commercial media were present at the forum, although The Fresno Bee published announcements in its Local News and Neighbors sections. KPFA’s Morning Show broadcast a telephone interview with panelists that was heard in the Bay area and rebroadcast in Fresno by KFCF.
Al Smith, station manager of KMJ, declined an invitation to attend the forum or to send a representative. He also declined to be interviewed by KPFA.
The forum was organized by Peace Fresno, and sponsored by The Fresno Center for Non-Violence, Labor/Community Alliance, American -Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Fresno County Green Party, and Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.
Video and Audio Recordings of the forum are available
CONTACT: fresnoprogressive [at] earthlink.net
A Coalition of Community Activists
985 N Van Ness Avenue
Fresno, California 93728
559-237-3223
PRESS RELEASE
November 15, 2001
One hundred ninety students and community members attended the forum“Talk Radio And Hate Crimes: Is There A Connection?” on November 15th at Fresno City College.
Featured speakers included Captain Rene Martin, Commander of the Northeast Division and Hate Crimes Coordinator of the Fresno Police Department. He defined hate crimes and discussed their incidence in Fresno, identifying African -Americans and gays and lesbian as the most common victims.
Social psychologist Dr. Becky Slaton summarized research on the effects of persuasion and propaganda and explained the psychological processes involved in hate crimes. She said that perpetrators of hate crimes tend to think that society sanctions their actions, a belief that may be reinforced through the persuasive techniques of talk show hosts.
FCC professor and former talk show host Ruben Scott described the conditions under which a radio show might influence someone to commit a hate crime. He identified inflexible thinking as a prime danger.
Community activist Jim Bartram described attacks on minorities that he has heard on conservative talk radio. Bartram quoted talk show host Mike Savage as saying,“Internment was right for the Japanese and it is right for today.” Bartram challenged a common defense of talk radio-- that it is mere entertainment and thus not influential -- by pointing to the effectiveness of radio hosts’ advertising pitches.
Lawyer, educator, and former talk show host Ken Kay advocated for for the free exchange of ideas from all political perspectives and warned against the tyranny of “political correctness” while emphasizing the personal obligation of radio hosts not to speak “with hate in their hearts.”
Ghassan AbulGhanam, President of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, described his feelings of fear and alienation as anArab-American since September 11 and argued that the “clash” between Western and Middle-Eastern cultures is a myth.
During the second hour, audience members had the opportunity to question the panel. Ghassan AbulGhanam responded to an objection that talk radio is just entertainment by pointing out, “They used to throw Christians to the lions for entertainment.” While affirming broadcasters’ First Ammendment rights, Jim Bartram challenged advertisers to consider the content of programs and refuse to sponsor those that promote hatred. He criticized California State University, Fresno, for advertising on KMJ radio and broadcasting Bulldogs sports events on the station.
No commercial media were present at the forum, although The Fresno Bee published announcements in its Local News and Neighbors sections. KPFA’s Morning Show broadcast a telephone interview with panelists that was heard in the Bay area and rebroadcast in Fresno by KFCF.
Al Smith, station manager of KMJ, declined an invitation to attend the forum or to send a representative. He also declined to be interviewed by KPFA.
The forum was organized by Peace Fresno, and sponsored by The Fresno Center for Non-Violence, Labor/Community Alliance, American -Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Fresno County Green Party, and Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.
Video and Audio Recordings of the forum are available
CONTACT: fresnoprogressive [at] earthlink.net
For more information:
http://home.earthlink.net/~fresnoprogressive
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
Donate
$230.00 donated
in the past month
Get Involved
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.
Publish
Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.
Topics
More
Search Indybay's Archives
Advanced Search
►
▼
IMC Network
And Jon, if you want to talk about censorship, let's talk about the NAB, the FCC, corporate media consolidation. This site was founded on the NAB protests. I don't really think that you can effectively say that "the left" is censoring anybody.
political correctness 'censors' speech.
the profit motive also 'censors' speech.
the truth is, the corporations will continue to make a profit, and they will continue to make a profit off of politically incorrect shows that feed people's hatred.
My prescription is a politically incorrect show which feeds people's hatred of the rich and fat fucks who control this country... unfortunately, they are also the ones owning the radio stations so that is the one kind of show you *wont* hear on the radio.
quite simply there is not enough demand for leftist talk radio, thus there is relatively little supply.
right-wing stations on the other hand have huge listener bases, thus explaining their prevalence.
rush limbaugh wouldn't be around if millions of people didn't agree with his rantings.
oh, let me guess --- the interests of rich corporate radio ceo's also coincide with the public's interest. boy, it all works out, huh?
furthermore, profit is made by corporate sponsorship, not just by listener share. as long as a radio show has some audience and a chance to stay on the air, the corporate sponsors will line up. of course corporations will support rush et al ... rush et al support them. which corporation will back a radical left show?
you can wander around the NAB showroom to find out the political orientation of most corporate radio decision-makers.
for instance, in the mid-20th century, there were just as many union, worker-owned newspapers as there were corporate newspapers. after violent strikebreaking, harrassment, lobbying, etc, the corporate news world eliminated these independent, worker-owned voices and you have what you have today, which is unprecedented media consolidation.
the fact of the matter is that they must answer to their shareholders, and their shareholders are ONLY concerned about profit.
when you buy 50 stocks in AOL Time Warner you could care less who the CEO was or what he did in his free-time so long as he increased the value of your stock.
as for media consolidation, how much is this the result of "strike-breaking" as you say versus the new realities of the global economy. almost EVERY industry has been forced to consolidate in order to survive, what makes the media so different? fact of hte matter is that numerous small firms in areas that require large economies of scale always ends up with consolidation.
as for jim hightower: successful, yes. however, successful enough?
remember that there might be a lot of radical leftists but outside of a few areas they are rather dispersed.
compare that to the bible belt or the small towns off of the interstates in america's heartland. a much greater concentration of political beliefs, thereby explaining the increased profitability of right-wing talk shows.
nessie: the fact that you are now responding to my posts with snide remarks and insults better proves my points then yours.
Shareholders are not a political class? Shareholders are not predominantly white, male and rich? Of course they are. What you mean to say is: "they must answer to their shareholders *that count*" ... in other words, don't act like an incorporation is some kind of democracy. It is pure rule by the most rich, the most powerful. That is called oligarchy. Is oligarchic rule somehow democratic to you?
Obviously the interest of the most powerful shareholders in any given media company will be right-wing, pro-Rush, etc.
Furthermore, you miss the point entirely: the reason right-wing shows are more profitable is not because of the listener base. The shows are more profitable because of corporate advertising. For instance, Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher ... certainly, one cannot say that Bill is a "leftist". But when he dared suggest that the terrorists were not cowards, how many corporate advertisers did he lose? He probably won't be back for a next season. This has nothing to do with audience popularity, and everything to do with advertiser popularity.
"almost EVERY industry has been forced to consolidate in order to survive"
Of course. It is a symptom of capitalism, which is supposed to be a "free market" but in reality is just a monopoly like communism. Instead of having the USSR-run media, you have the GE-run media. etc.
The fact that union papers and other media were destroyed through the hiring of mafioso and other thugs is just an interesting historical note.
"compare that to the bible belt or the small towns off of the interstates in america's heartland"
This is where I'm from. And I guarantee that if you put a pro-union, pro-worker, anti-corporate, anti-government person on the radio, they would be successful. The small towns in America's heartland are more subversive than the entire Bay Area put together. Here is where you have the pathetic left, constantly whining and milling about. There is where you have the militia movement, who are ready to get rid of the major corporations and big government right now.
Shareholders are not a political class? Shareholders are not predominantly white, male and rich?
---------------------
do you or your parents own a 401(k)?
congratulations, you are now a shareholder in most likely a large mix of corporations, both large and small.
-----------------
Obviously the interest of the most powerful shareholders in any given media company will be right-wing, pro-Rush
---------------
yet, their interests are entirely irrelevant, one of the virtues of a free-market. the market is ONLY concerned about maximizing wealth, and a shareholder irregardless of his political convictions only cares about making a profit.
this then mitigates against any ideological bias that shareholders might have
----------------------------
Of course. It is a symptom of capitalism, which is supposed to be a "free market" but in reality is just a monopoly like communism. Instead of having the USSR-run media, you have the GE-run media
----------------------------
not at all. unlike a state controlled economy, dissent w/ the status quo can take root given enough popularity. take Fox News for example, many people were frustarated with the democratic party tilt of CNN, NBC, etc. and thus demand for a conservative news program took hold, and voila Fox News is now an established news station on par with the 3 networks and CNN
Nessie, I don't know how you can deny Jon's accusation of petty attacks. I wasn't even on this posting and you had to get in your characteristic soundbyte-style jab on me.
That defines petty.
John is right. As usual you have proved your own hipocracy.
Keep it up. You are good at it.
no. but even if i did, does that suddenly make me a "player" or something? if i disagree with everything CNN, FoxNews, etc are going to do should i call them up and say: "Me and all of my friends are going to switch our 401k investments away from your company!" I very much doubt you would even get through to anyone who would know what you were talking about.
"this then mitigates against any ideological bias that shareholders might have"
as you say: oh gawd. the ideological basis, of course, *is* capitalism ... pursuit of profit ... greed ... etc. that is the whole point. that is why it is called class war. the interests and ideological basis for rich elite capitalists is the success and wealth of them and people like them, just as the interest of workers and poor people are unions (when they arent corrupt as fuck) and pro-democracy movements and etc.
"Fox News is now an established news station on par with the 3 networks and CNN"
And you believe this is because they rolled up their sleeves and fought their way to the top in good old American fashion? Ever hear of Rupert Murdoch? Let me tell you, it wasnt a populist movement than ushered in Fox News.
In fact, those things which do have a large popular base are often denied, for instance, pirate radio, labor news, etc
I will take that you didnt respond to anything else as an acceptance of those statements
as for jon, he's coming around, he just has to quit saying "oh gawd" all the time and virtually rolling his eyes at people, its really rude
nessie, keep spreading information through the various channels, the average american has to start thinking about this shit
Jon and Diego are the same person!
Jon appeared on the scene at about the same time that we stopped hearing from Diego, and Diego suddenly reappears when he's mentioned in a thread between jon and others.
Think about it: jon and diego are both fairly bright as far as right-wingers go, they both are tenacious exponents of the conventional wisdom, and their tone and writing style are similar.
I'm gonna hold this view until they pick a fight with one another!
hahaha, ayn rand's individualism in 2001: pyramid marketing scams and baby gold bond powder!
Yeah Aaron, another masterpiece of radicalist logic. Jon and I MUST be the same guy. You just can't resist the urge to conspiracize, can you? No wonder you refer to rational thought as 'conventional wisdom.'
Please, by all means notify us immediately next time you have another 'thought.'
Okay, Diego, you're not Jon. Jon doesn't use the word 'prevaricate' like you do.
Here's a test: Who believes more firmly in the Laffer Curve, you or jon? Fight it out. If the audience can discern differences in your levels of ardor for Reaganomics we'll believe you are two separate -- and, yes, intrinsically worthwhile -- human beings.
And c'mon Diego, at least I wasn't mistaking you for Danny "One Very Dumb Dude" Thomas!
Still haven't heard any of the rest of you with brains (HUH excluded of course) respond to Nessie's request for votes . . .
Or for the past couple of decades, the playing and even IN STUDIO INTERVIEWING of racially charged bands like: Throbbing Gristle who often toyed with Overt Nazi symbolism and ideas.
Boyd Rice who aside from commenting on doing away with lower society in his album "Music Martinis and Misanthropy", was also in the Neo-Facist faced Current 93.
Lustmord who was interviewed at the Shattuck Studios, released the album "Place Where The Black Stars Hang" could have obvious interpretations.
Monte Cazazza, also interviewed in the old Studios, had a dyed pink poodle who was eaten by his pet python who was later to be skinned for his hide.
No, as you can see the Left doesn't engage in Bigotry or Racism. Only the Right Wingrs do...
Have a nice suit,
Savage Underground