Fox News has infected CNN with the Slime Flu, and it's now spreading to MSNBC.
But this media malignancy originated on talk radio two decades ago.
When CNN's Big Lou Dobbs recently went off the deep end, did he also drain the press (as well as the swimming) pool? Lou's knuckle-dragging Birther fans may be brain dead and ridiculous, but that hasn't stopped cable news from giving extensive coverage to their looniness.
"Why are we even talking about this guy?" asked Washington Post reporter Lois Romano on MSNBC this week after being queried by Chris Matthews about Glenn Beck's latest attention-getting lunatic rant -- calling the president a "racist." MSNBC has been giving an even bigger megaphone lately to our village's drooling idiots.
Lunacy and hate speech gets ratings. That much we now know. And to far too many of the people who run cable news and radio, that's all that matters. They're the amoral enablers of shameless panderers like Dobbs and Beck.
I started noticing this drastic lowering of broadcast standards 15 years ago when The Human Emetic, Michael "Weenie" Savage, started spouting undiluted hate on a San Francisco radio station. Pretty soon, The Savage Wiener (as many of us still know him) had a nationally syndicated radio show. If Savage knows nothing else, he's always known how to get attention.
One long-time talk host and colleague on Savage's station in San Francisco is a traditional conservative. This mannered Republican talk host quit radio back then, he told me at the time, because "garbage" like Savage's show had become acceptable in broadcasting.
The talk veteran was so disgusted he went into his boss's office and asked him bluntly: "If you could put a continuous fart on the air and it got ratings, would you air it?" Without even hesitating, the program director of the top-rated, 50,000-watt station (according to the talk-radio veteran) shrugged and said, "Of course."
"What draws a bigger audience?" the disgusted career radio man added when I did his radio exit interview for my column. "A rational discussion of foreign policy -- or two sailors duking it out down at the bar?"
"That's the way this business is going," the conservative southerner said disgustedly when he quit his 30-year radio career, "and I want no part of it."
"Beck appeals to the uneducated and the stupid," MSNBC's Ed Schultz said this week on his national radio show, commenting on former FM shock jock Beck's latest looneytoon, attention-getting comments.
"The guy is a hate merchant."
Yes, but like the fart -- not a bad analogy when you think about it -- Beck's disgraceful episodes of public flatulence get ratings. And that's all that seems to matter to his bosses.
"There are a lot of ways to get ratings," Schultz added. "He has elected to sell hate."
True, but sell it does. (Is this a great country, or what?)
This might be a good time to take careful note of the people who advertise on Beck's and Dobbs' carnival attractions.
I've been covering radio for 25 years for various newspapers, and it's always been a slimy business. After talking to some radio execs, you want to take a shower.
But in the last 15 years, it's gotten a lot slimier, and the slime has now spread to cable news networks.
When Matthews half-joked to Romano that "more people watch Beck than read the Washington Post," she replied, "Oh, well."
I think we probably knew that, Chris. Most of Beck's and Dobb's fans will never be accused of reading a non-tabloid.
It's not enough to get these modern-day Father Coughlins out of public view. We also should hold responsible the cable and radio executives who ever allowed this blatant hate-mongering on the air in the first place.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.