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The Conservative Media Echo Chamber Is Making the Right Intellectually Deaf
National Review ^ | 8/4/16 | Matthew Sheffield

Posted on 08/04/2016 7:09:42 PM PDT by randita

Despite conservatives’ perceptions, conservative media exists in a small, ineffectual bubble. One of the more interesting developments since the emergence of the Web as a mass medium is the establishment of a conservative media presence. Prior to the Internet, there were basically no large-audience right-wing media operations aside from a few talk-radio programs.

Since the 1996 establishment of Fox News and the popularization of the Web, it has now become possible for a conservatively inclined people to consume all kinds of news and opinion catering to their specific tastes and viewpoints. Many right-leaning people have hailed this development, believing that they have finally defeated the hated liberal media. They suppose that because they can now obtain their news entirely from conservative-leaning media that this is what others do as well.

They couldn’t be more mistaken.

While the conservative-media constellation is far larger than it once was, its audience is completely dwarfed by the left-leaning mainstream media. People who are “very conservative” love right-wing media outlets. No one else appears to, not even Republicans who are “somewhat conservative.”

The fact that a majority of average Americans has never even heard of the Right’s biggest stars like Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck is a perfect illustration that Republican political junkies live in a media bubble. Conservative activists who dislike GOP nominee Donald Trump are constantly asking themselves how their party could elect an inexperienced bomb-thrower who constantly messes up. The relatively small influence of right-wing blogs and talk radio is part of the answer. Trump-hating hosts like Mark Levin and Glenn Beck bashed Trump daily on their programs for months. Their criticism had no effect, however, because the only people tuning in were those who already agreed. (It didn’t help that their denunciations were completely hypocritical and politically motivated as well.)

(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: conservative; liberal; media
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Long read, but eye opening. It's a very steep climb for a conservative to get elected at the national level.
1 posted on 08/04/2016 7:09:42 PM PDT by randita
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To: randita

Sorry. Nope. Not giving NR a click. They’re diseased. Terminal Trump Derangement.


2 posted on 08/04/2016 7:13:52 PM PDT by SargeK
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To: randita
From the article: "Many right-leaning people have hailed this development, believing that they have finally defeated the hated liberal media."

Who believed this? I think we all know that that majority of people still get their news from liberal sources: NBC/ABC/CBS, the Daily Show, Saturday Night Live, Yahoo and Facebook and so on.

3 posted on 08/04/2016 7:15:19 PM PDT by sockhead
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To: randita

Conservatives do not go AWOL from a battle with Hillary Clinton. The anti-Trump “conservative” chattering classes are now irrelevant to their party and country.


4 posted on 08/04/2016 7:15:39 PM PDT by lodi90 (Clear choice for Conservatives now: TRUMP or lose)
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To: randita

The Left media is the same: an echo chamber.
So that’s not the salient point.

I do like this Sheffield guy, here’s another good essay by him: https://praxis.ink/2016/07/does-political-advertising-actually-work-not-really/

But he’s young


5 posted on 08/04/2016 7:18:03 PM PDT by mrsmith (Dumb sluts: Lifeblood of the Media, Backbone of the Democrat/RINO Party!)
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To: sockhead

It’s interest to see the anti-Trump beltway chattering classes are now smearing Breitbart as “alt conservative”, lumping Trump supporters in with neo-Nazis, etc. Truly deranged folks. These are bells that can not be unrung, IMO.


6 posted on 08/04/2016 7:18:24 PM PDT by lodi90 (Clear choice for Conservatives now: TRUMP or lose)
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To: randita

Some people would say we’re on the verge of electing one right now...ymmv


7 posted on 08/04/2016 7:19:48 PM PDT by mac_truck (aide toi et dieu t'aidera)
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To: randita

The irony.....this is the same NR that switched their comments section over to FaceBook today to stop conservatives from posting. there. You can’t make this stuff up.


8 posted on 08/04/2016 7:20:03 PM PDT by LongWayHome
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To: randita

NR are world class experts when it comes to intellectual deafness and running an echo chamber.

Sorry. I’m not giving the GOP-e journal of choice a click.


9 posted on 08/04/2016 7:20:45 PM PDT by RKBA Democrat (Make phone calls. Knock on doors. Write letters. Or wake to a nightmare in November)
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To: LongWayHome

Funny, ain’t it? We really need a NR Deathwatch Clock.


10 posted on 08/04/2016 7:22:17 PM PDT by RKBA Democrat (Make phone calls. Knock on doors. Write letters. Or wake to a nightmare in November)
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To: LongWayHome

NR offered me a free ONE YEAR digital subscription just for reading an article. They must be hurting bad.


11 posted on 08/04/2016 7:26:30 PM PDT by lodi90 (Clear choice for Conservatives now: TRUMP or lose)
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To: lodi90

How does anyone explain how a woman who has spawned scandal, corruption, lies, deceit, law breaking, and moral and ethical bankruptcy while in the political limelight for almost three decades is ahead in the race for President in 2016?

What does it say about a political party who would nominate someone with her record to run on their ticket?

It defies logic and explanation, but yet it’s reality.

Obviously, there’s a whole other world out there that thinks very, very differently than you and I do.


12 posted on 08/04/2016 7:26:47 PM PDT by randita
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To: randita

Fair analysis.

Now apply a trend factor.

Where was the conservative media before Reagan? Before Rush.

Conservative media has done a pretty good job under the circumstances. The leftist media had essentially no opposition for decades while they disingenuously assumed a persona of objectivism. This persona is being deconstructed but it will take years to catch up.


13 posted on 08/04/2016 7:26:53 PM PDT by plymaniac
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To: RKBA Democrat

NR has gone so far off the rails.....I dumped them way back when they chased out O’Sullivan & the other immigration restrictions. I knew then that they were on their way to open borders & playing footsie with the political Left.


14 posted on 08/04/2016 7:26:57 PM PDT by LongWayHome
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To: randita

B.s..
We seek truth, not right leaning. Truth is truth lie is lie.


15 posted on 08/04/2016 7:27:47 PM PDT by CincyRichieRich (Have Faith...If you have none, pray and ask Him for more.)
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To: SargeK

It’s also available on the author’s website: https://praxis.ink/2016/08/the-conservative-media-echo-chamber-has-made-the-right-deaf-to-reality/

I find him more interesting than most ‘pundits’.


16 posted on 08/04/2016 7:29:04 PM PDT by mrsmith (Dumb sluts: Lifeblood of the Media, Backbone of the Democrat/RINO Party!)
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To: LongWayHome

The irony.....this is the same NR that switched their comments section over to FaceBook today to stop conservatives from posting. there. You can’t make this stuff up.


Indeed:

May 9, 2016

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/435185/facebooks-war-conservative-free-speech

August 4, 2016

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/438620/nro-moving-facebook-comments


17 posted on 08/04/2016 7:29:16 PM PDT by lodi90 (Clear choice for Conservatives now: TRUMP or lose)
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To: lodi90

Ha....I suspect they get most of their money these days from the people who “pull the strings” in think tanks & chamber of commerce type operations. I met Bill Buckley once & asked him why NR had walked away from the immigration question & he gave me nothing but excuses. I did not press him cause I was a guest at a private house party, but I got the message.


18 posted on 08/04/2016 7:31:48 PM PDT by LongWayHome
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To: randita
How does anyone explain how a woman who has spawned scandal, corruption, lies, deceit, law breaking, and moral and ethical bankruptcy while in the political limelight for almost three decades is ahead in the race for President in 2016?

I'm still in shock that Barack Barry Soetoro Hussein Obama with his crazy biography and printed memoir was elected twice.

19 posted on 08/04/2016 7:33:13 PM PDT by sockhead
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To: mrsmith

New Republic is in the pocket of these basterds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9AJcS2KsQE


20 posted on 08/04/2016 7:34:42 PM PDT by Yollopoliuhqui (Smarter - Faster)
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