NCJ Number
167824
Date Published
1996
Length
2 pages
Annotation
Hostile, denigrating, and flamboyant comments by political talk-show hosts can stimulate some people to violent acts; news commentators and politicians must choose their words carefully and responsibly in acknowledgment of the powerful influence they wield.
Abstract
President Clinton has spoken out against the "loud and angry voices" who use the airwaves to spread hate. "Their bitter words can have consequences," Clinton told a Minneapolis gathering of college officials on April 24, 1995, suggesting that right-wing talk-radio hosts may have some measure of responsibility for the violence that wracked Oklahoma City that month. The talk-show hosts have been quick to protest their innocence, arguing that they have never encouraged violence, except, says talk-show host Gordon Liddy, when Federal agents subject you to a lethal attack and you must defend yourself. Radio talk-show hosts such as Liddy and Rush Limbaugh, as well as politicians whose statements are broadcast through the media, should reflect on the possibility that excessive and hostile language can lead some people to believe that violent attacks on government officials are necessary to save the country from a horrible fate.