This should probably be filed under the label, Aunt Jemima, what took you so long, but at least it’s happening at all. The head of Cumulus Media, which owns 416 right-wing radio stations and employs the likes of Mark Levin, Dan Bongino and Ben Shapiro, issued an internal memo, “We need to help induce national calm NOW, [we] will not tolerate any suggestion that the election has not ended. The election has been resolved and there are no alternate acceptable ‘paths.’  If you transgress this policy, you can expect to separate from the company immediately.” Strong words, but will they do it? Washington Post:

The new policy is a stunning corporate clampdown on the kind of provocative and even inflammatory talk that has long driven the business model for Cumulus and other talk show broadcasters. And it came as Apple, Google and Amazon cut off essential business services to Parler, the pro-Trump social media network where users have promoted falsehoods about election fraud and praised the mob that assaulted the Capitol. Apple and Google removed the Parler app from the offerings for its smartphones, while Amazon suspended it from its Web-hosting services. (Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

Apparently it took the riot at the Capitol for the people making money off of lies to realize that this wasn’t just theater anymore. People think this is real. What is happening in America now is no different from the famous War Of The Worlds broadcast in 1939. People thought that was real, too. At least in that case it was quickly said that it was entertainment. The following is entertainment, too, it’s just not marked that way.

On his program on Tuesday, the day before the march on the Capitol, for example, Levin fulminated about Congress’s certification of electoral votes for Biden, describing the normally routine vote as an act of “tyranny.”

“You think the framers of the Constitution … sat there and said, ‘Congress has no choice [to accept the votes], even if there’s fraud, even if there’s some court order, even if some legislature has violated the Constitution?’ ” Levin said, his voice rising to a shout. […]

However, there’s some question as to whether stars such as Levin will comply with the recent edict and whether Cumulus will discipline them if they don’t.

On his syndicated radio program on Thursday, a day after Cumulus sent its memo and Trump supporters breached the Capitol, Levin didn’t seem to be backing off. “It appears nothing has changed in 24 hours,” he said on the air. “Not a damn thing. The never-Trumpers, the RINOs, the media — same damn thing.”

He went on to add: “I’m not stirring up a damn thing. Everything I say is based on principle and mission. Everything is based on liberty, family, faith, the Constitution. … My enemies and my critics can’t say the same.”

I don’t hold out a lot of hope that anybody is going to shut these people and their unreality down. Rush Limbaugh works for Premiere Radio and it would certainly be interesting to see if he got a memo like this one.

The problem is that it’s too late. These right-wing hosts can’t get on the air and say, “Uh, have you got a minute? Listen, we’ve been conning you all this time. There’s really nothing wrong with this election. All the judges and officials were telling you the truth.” They can’t do it. I don’t think that they will do it.

Right-wing radio is pernicious and it’s expansion has been slow. I remember hearing a program on some local talk show station in L.A. about eight years ago and it was about the imminent collapse of the dollar and somehow Eric Holder was involved — it was incredible. I talked to a few friends the next day and asked if they had heard anything about this. They had no idea what I was talking about. Nothing was in the legitimate media on the subject, because I looked. It was at that point that the awful truth began to dawn, that it wasn’t just tough talk from Rush Limbaugh any more, like in the 80’s, that it was alternate reality time. A certain portion of the public was listening to radio shows describing things and events that didn’t exist. And look at where we are now.

When you’ve been making money from pushing lies and then the lies turn into riots, what do you do? Stop making money? Or watch the world burn down? I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

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75 COMMENTS

    • Muzzling the crazy right-wing talk radio would be a great idea. But I don’t know if it can happen. This has gone too far. They know it, too, obviously, but they don’t know what to do about it.

      • It’s ironic that the Senate and House can do precious little to punish the President, while Twitter and friends, various other companies and the freaking PGA somehow manages to tell Trump what’s what and it’s all happening after the right has been jabbering about deep state, too much government and what not since the 80’s

  2. Once again, you are not letting me post a comment. Once again, it is tagged as having to go to moderation. I am tired of this happening. If it continues, I will stop supporting you.

    • There are certain words that automatically trigger moderation – It’s as simple as that. Mention the Austrian ruler of Germany by name, for example.

      • Yet I say Nazi and on it goes. We should really give up this idea that the algorithm is out to get our precious comments. None of us are important enough to muzzle that hard.

        • I agree, but let’s face it, it is a pretty clunky algorithm. On some sites readers can gain a “trusted user” status where they give you the benefit of the doubt. Also, although there is an editing function, if I try to edit something even two seconds after the comment goes up, I m told that it’s too late to edit. No, I don’t take it personally, but something’s not right there.

          • Some sites have more money to develop the software than we do. So yes, clunky as hell. When I can do better, I will. Consider this like a car. It’s going to get you from A to B, it just doesn’t have heated seats and a stereo. But you’ll get where you’re going.

      • Not sure about that. For as long back as I remember every one of my comments has gone to moderation. If it’s due to an algorithm, what could it mean? Maybe it objects to my name….or else I must have committed some heinous misstep?
        Just curious.

        I don’t mean to add to your troubles, Ursula and I really don’t miss the posts that want to scam you with promises of great wealth if you’ll just click on this link!

    • Miranda, your comment of outrage seems to have gone through quite nicely (as I’m typing, it reads the message was sent 18 minutes ago). What you really need to do is consider what you’re including in your comment. Since we apparently don’t see the comment that goes to “moderation,” I can’t tell you any specifics but the system is set up to look out for certain words and phrases (primarily words and phrases that spammers frequently use).

      I’ve had plenty of comments go to moderation and I’ve noticed that a certain four-letter word that rhymes with Kirk and entails monetary remuneration (even if used quite innocently) and overly lengthy comments (and I do quite a few of those) and commenting too frequently (say, five separate comments in a 10-minute period) have all triggered moderation on me. But I don’t take it personally. (Heck, I had one comment in moderation for a day. I doubt it was any kind of personal attack against me or the comment itself; I just triggered the system on a bad day.)

    • It’s frustrating but happens to all of us. Ursula has no control over it and if anything it just makes more headaches for her having to review perfectly acceptable comments.

      I know it’s a pain, but please be patient.

      • After I posted this I made a comment and you guessed it…..

        ….stuck in moderation…..ain’t that the livin’????

        aaahahaha!!!

    • I get stuff thrown into moderation all the time, and I don’t whine about it, because it’s automagic, not personal. Try paying attention to what we’ve told you about it.

    • OMG, why do you insist on taking this as a personal assault against you? As many of us have stated, it’s happened to most of us at one time or another, and once Ursula takes care of it, your post is available. Go take a chill pill and get over yourself.

    • This happens to me ALL the time, but eventually the comments are posted when one of the site hosts rescues them from the auto system.

      • There is no “one of the site hosts.” There is me. And I am having COVID-19 symptoms right now and doing my best to post at all. We have to work together and have patience.

        • My heart goes out to you, Ursula. Nasty illness.

          My guess is that those comments marked for moderation eventually get accepted, so no foul!

          Rest up and get better!

    • I feel your pain but this is a relatively small site (hope that changes and soon!) and the person in charge only has so many resources (not just money to pay staff but time – hers and other writers) so some of the moderation has to be done via a computer program. A LOT (at least half) of my own comments get kicked into moderation by the algorithm. It’s frustrating, even maddening at times because of the lack of knowledge about what word(s) or phrases triggered it. Or if perhaps more lengthy comments themselves (I tend to run on sometimes. Ok, a lot of times!) get put in the moderation bin. Plus, if you’ve been paying close attention this site has been attracting an increasing number of visitors who are tossing turds in the punchbowl and that’s just the stuff we can see. Lord knows what the bots are up to now that it’s on the radar of certain folks who wish ALL progressive sites ill. If anything that warrants even tighter controls from the algorithm that does moderation, not less. The answer is not to leave, but stay and help the site grow by getting others to take part. That means more income for the site and eventually actual human intervention that can clear comments automatically put in moderation far more quickly than is currently possible. (I just noted in this thread a couple of things that trigger moderation from the algorithm. Perhaps that’s something we should share more of. If I had a list of words and phrases then I could avoid them when possible.)

        • No problem. S**t gets cray sometimes and things right now are (I think) more cray than 1968. If someone like Rachael Maddow, with her awesome staff can’t keep up the masters of a small site like this sure can’t so folks need to chill. Besides, in addition to looking at what’s happened we have to be looking at what’s to come. In 1962 I was too young to comprehend why, but it was clear during those awful days just how frightened all the adults were. The world came so close, and elements within the Joint Chiefs (Curtis LeMay in particular) were egging things on trying to get their war with Cuba. I worry, and with some justification I believe that Wednesdays events might be the equivalent of JFK and his advisors being shown the photos of the missile sites and realizing how easily we could wind up in a nuclear war. There were a lot of things that went on including as I said folks like I said where some were trying to go around JFK’s clear orders and “accidently on purpose” provoke the war they wanted in Cuba.

          Given all that, and how much writers that lots of folks pay attention to (like you and your front pagers) have to do trying to cover it my comments or community submissions have to take a back seat. Yes, I know I have a following but not a large enough one to warrant spending too much time getting my comments out of moderation right away. Or maybe at all sometimes since like I said things are NOT under control. Not at all.

          One day things will be back to just normal crazy and then perhaps some of us might be justified in complaining. But not right now and not for a while yet.

        • True – the crybabies have lost their ability to tweet, to parlez and to face ache – even gone down the (you) tube so they are congregating here to spew forth, fifth, sixth etc, etc.

    • You have been at least a couple times already about the moderation algorithm. Are you asking Ursula to get a different algorithm? The rest of us don’t want the garbage the algorithm prevent. The price is that some our comments (including mine on a regular basis) may be delayed a bit, that’s all.

    • Miranda, STOP using the word WORK. I don’t mean to scream, but I told you this before. The algorithm thinks you’re a troll, trying to shill a fake job website. Don’t use the word job, either.

    • Miranda, we are once again going to go through Moderation 101: 1. The algorithm flags the comment because you use words like “work” and “job” that trip the thing. It’s not me. 2. I will always unblock a comment within half a day, usually less. 3. It’s not personal. 4. Stop using the words — “job” “work” “home” “money” “computer” “online” and the flagging should stop. 5. Also hyper links get flagged. There is nothing personal going on and I can’t stop the algorithm from tripping you. If you want to go away mad over it, that is your decision. When the day dawns that I can hire somebody to actually personally moderate in real time, I’ll let you know. Believe me, nobody longs for that day more than I do.

  4. Ursula, I admit to being somewhat mystified: when do folks listen to these rightwingdinger morons like Lush Rimbaugh? In their cars en route to & from work? In the garage while cleaning a lawn mower? I presume that when their audience is at home, they’re not hunkered down in front of a radio, they’re comatose in front of Fux News on TV. Or if they’re a bit brighter than that, surely they’re listening to music while mixing up a pre-supper cocktail or three. Enlighten me please.

    • Right-wing radio dominates in rural areas. When I was driving across the Mojave, from Riverside County going to Las Vegas, the choice of radio stations dwindled greatly. I got religious shows and then I got Mark Levin. That’s the bill of fare in a lot of the country. And look at what we’ve got to show for it.

  5. “What is happening in America now is no different from the famous War Of The Worlds broadcast in 1939.”

    Just a nitpick, Ursula, but that broadcast was in 1938 (the night before Halloween, to be exact).

  6. What happened in DC was a cluster beyond all clusters, if you get my drift. It’s the kind of thing that makes ANY corporation start being afraid of being held liable by both private citizens AND the government. Because the latter cannot get to Trump just yet, the corporations who have been milking the rubes will do just fine as an example.

  7. My ex was a rage-a-holic. When we met, he was liberal but he’s now a hopeless rwnj trump supporter. Over the years, he discovered Rush Limbaugh and discovered that Rush’s rantings and diatribes stoked his anger, got his juices flowing, fed his need to rage. That’s what these other listeners get. Their endorphins kick in and they get high off it. They won’t want to give that up.

    • What junkie in denial would? I sometimes wonder about these alleged former liberals like your ex. As Jordan Peele’s Get Out suggests, that breed is often the worst kind of hypocrite, fine with equality so long as they have to give nothing up that they consider theirs.

  9. As long as the 50,000 watt pulpits of hate can wring a dollar out of their rhetoric they will continue….gotta keep the base satisfied.

    When they tune in for rasslin’ and get ballet they tune out, and the purveyors of lies kno it.

  10. You can’t lie, yell fire in a crowded indoor event, nor should you be allowed to tell 30,000 lies AS PRESIDENT, which, clearly is a threat when broadcast on national tv day after day after day after day…

      • “Freedom of speech” doesn’t apply to media outlets though. No one has a RIGHT to have their speech broadcast. Including the president. Broadcast outlets were perfect willing to turn down President Obama when he asked for 20 minutes to talk to the nation about immigration.

      • Telling enough lies to build an alternate ‘reality’ that stops people realizing they are in a burning theater is surely the same?

      • PJ,
        I think congress should take a good look at changing that law. Some of the laws or decisions are based on irrelevant or flimsy reasoning (take for example, Citizens United. Corporations are people??!!)
        This one was based on the difference between cable and broadcast media, noting that broadcasting was based on a limited amount of available bandwidth and cable wasn’t. Now we can see the monumental damage Fox, et.al can do by prioritizing money over the public good. Propagating conspiracy theories that lead to brainwashed minions attacking the sacred seat of our democracy like some tinpot dictatorship seems to warrant a tightening of the first amendment. Fox has done enough damage and needs to be reined in.

        Lying can be as bad or worse than yelling fire in a crowded theater.

      • U are not allowed to falsely yell fire in a theatre, causing panic, possibly injury. That’s not free speech. If u did, & took a public stand claiiming free speech, u would be in zipties headed to the station. Later, u would lose civil lawsuits for ur disregard of public safety. Hey, if ur so sure, try it & see if free speech is a blanket right. Not. Have bail money if ur white, a # for funeral services if ur black.

  11. I think the management, at last, is serious, because they are afraid of lawsuits. By sending this letter they cover their butts. As for the individuals who might transgress, they would of course plead “free speech”. Now IANAL, but it seems to me that the fact that they would be ignoring a good-faith directive from their own employer does not speak well for them, since the cause for that directive is well known and well founded.

    • With employers, it’s like this. The employee can say whatever they want and the employer can fire them whenever they want on these matters.

  12. We have truth in advertising laws. Now its time for truth in/over media laws! Hate speech, in incitement to violence, incitement to commit a crime or crimes are defined as NOT being free speech. We need to add spreading lies and disinformation. Then apply that to ALL forms of media. Radio, TV, and internet. Huge fines and long jail sentences to be mandatory if convicted.

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