Getting the Word Out
Getting the Word Out
The Media as Cheerleader and Megaphone
This chapter discusses how the structure and dynamics of US communications media provided Tea Party organizers with the publicity and access needed to flourish and have a major impact on governance. The challenge of spreading and germinating the Tea Party idea was surmounted with impressive ease because a major sector of the US media today is openly partisan—including Fox News Channel, the right-wing “blogosphere,” and a nationwide network of rightwing talk radio programs. The conservative media reaches into the homes of many Americans, buffets as well as boosts the Republican Party, and has considerable ability to set the agenda of issues that other media outlets also take up. The conservative media quickly joined and helped to orchestrate the Tea Party, breaking down the barriers between media and movement that have usually been so challenging for protesters to navigate.
Keywords: Tea Party, right-wing Republicans, mass media, communications media, partisanship, conservative media
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