{"id":90562,"date":"2007-09-20T00:00:01","date_gmt":"2007-09-20T05:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2007\/09\/20\/pej-talk-show-index-sept-9-14-2007\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T04:12:31","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T09:12:31","slug":"pej-talk-show-index-sept-9-14-2007","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2007\/09\/20\/pej-talk-show-index-sept-9-14-2007\/","title":{"rendered":"War of Words Over War in Iraq"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n\n

If General David Petraeus\u2019 Iraq progress report triggered fierce partisan battles on Capitol Hill last week, it also generated widely mixed\u2014and some pretty inflammatory\u2014reviews on the talk show airwaves. <\/p>\n\n

Staunch anti-war advocate Keith Olbermann, on his Sept. 10 MSNBC show \u201cCountdown,\u201d dismissed the so-called \u201cPetraeus Report,\u201d declaring that \u201ca majority of Americans assumed going in it was a cheap sales job.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

That same day, conservative radio talker Michael Savage took a distinctly different view. \u201cI watched General Petraeus today and I was proud of him,\u201d said Savage. \u201cAnd I watched the general take the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune from those slimy, backstabbing, anti-American scum called Democrats.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

As Olbermann pointed out, Petraeus\u2019 Sept. 10 and 11 testimony\u2014which generated more coverage than Ambassador Ryan Crocker\u2019s report on the political climate in Iraq\u2014was the most important visit to Capitol Hill by a military leader since General William Westmoreland delivered his Vietnam assessment 40 years earlier. <\/p>\n\n

Much of that anticipation stemmed from the sense that Petraeus\u2019 testimony might be a pivotal moment in battle over war policy between the Bush White House and Congressional Democrats. At the end of the week, the commentary consensus held that the general had reinforced the status quo and bought more time for the administration\u2019s approach. But even if Petraeus changed few minds in Congress, his appearance gave talk hosts a chance to sound off on the war, loud and clear. <\/p>\n\n

The debate over Iraq lit up the airwaves as the hottest-talk topic last week, accounting for 49% of the cable and radio airtime, according to PEJ\u2019s Talk Show Index from Sept. 9-14. That was the most time devoted to the subject in 2007, barely edging out the 48% of the newshole filled by the policy debate on January 7-12, the week when President Bush initially announced the \u201csurge.\u201d Only two stories\u2014the Virginia Tech shooting rampage in the week of April 15-20 (63%) and the firing of talk host Don Imus (61%) during the week of April 8-13\u2014generated more talk conversation than last week\u2019s Iraq showdown. <\/p>\n\n

The argument over Iraq practically silenced every other subject last week. The 2008 presidential campaign was the second-biggest topic at 10%. But even some of that campaign discussion was related to Petraeus\u2019 appearance before Congress. The 9\/11 anniversary remembrances finished third at 5%, followed by immigration (4%) and events inside Iraq, which was the fifth-biggest topic at just 2%. <\/p>\n\n

PEJ\u2019s Talk Show Index, released each week, is designed to provide news consumers, journalists and researchers with hard data about what stories and topics are most frequently dissected and discussed in the media universe of talk and opinion\u2014a segment of the media that spans across both prime time cable and radio. (See About the Talk Show Index.)<\/a> PEJ\u2019s Talk Show Index includes seven prime time cable shows and five radio talk hosts and is a subset of our News Coverage Index<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

Talk hosts have a variety of methods they can use to make their views known, including using guests as either surrogates for their viewpoint or as debate tackling dummies. But when it came to the debate over Iraq last week, many hosts did the talking themselves with a palpable sense of anger and intensity. <\/p>\n\n

MSNBC \u201cHardball,\u201d host Chris Matthews unsheathed some biting sarcasm in response to President Bush\u2019s Sept. 13 speech in which he endorsed Petraeus\u2019 recommendations and thanked \u201cthe 36 nations who have troops on the ground in Iraq.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

\u201cLet me give you some sense of the other firepower that\u2019s joining us in the field,\u201d declared Matthews as he ticked off a roster of nations and how many troops they had in Iraq: Hungary (15), Japan (5), Latvia (2), Turkey (2), New Zealand (1), Singapore (1) and Canada (1). \u201cThose are our 36 strong allies the President is talking about.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

[they say]<\/p>\n\n\n

From the other side of the microphone came a vigorous attack on the anti-war forces. Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh made the point that Democrats and liberals seemed to be hoping for a U.S. defeat in Iraq. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cFor the first time in years, the good news is leaking out, the surge is working,\u201d said Limbaugh. \u201cOur left is starting to lose.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

Conservative compatriot Rich Lowry, the National Review editor subbing for Sean Hannity on Fox News Channel\u2019s \u201cHannity & Colmes,\u201d echoed Limbaugh, asserting that \u201cDemocrats seem to be totally uninterested in hearing any good news from Iraq.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

Another log that got tossed on the Iraq bonfire last week was the controversial ad from the liberal group, MoveOn.org, attacking Petraeus as \u201cGeneral Betray Us.\u201d The Fox News Channel\u2019s Bill O\u2019Reilly assailed what he called \u201ca smear advertisement\u201d against the general. But appearing on \u201cHannity & Colmes,\u201d Republican Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina ratcheted up the rhetoric in his critique of the ad. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cTaking a man who\u2019s lived his life with honor and integrity and accusing him of sending people to their death because of some unknown political agenda\u2026somebody who would do that should burn in hell,\u201d Graham declared. <\/p>\n\n

The MoveOn.org furor also became part of the talk show conversation about the 2008 presidential race, with some calling for Hillary Clinton to denounce the grassroots organization\u2019s ad. <\/p>\n\n

On Lou Dobbs\u2019 Sept. 14 CNN program, senior political analyst Bill Schneider noted that Republican hopeful Rudy Giuliani\u2014locked in a tightening GOP primary battle\u2014went specifically after Democrat Clinton for her criticism of General Petraeus and \u201cher failure to condemn MoveOn.org.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

Why might Giuliani ignore his GOP opponents to lob a blast at the perceived Democratic frontrunner? As Schneider noted, Giuliani selected a target\u2014Clinton\u2014who is so unpopular with the Republican base that it could help him in the battle with his GOP rivals. <\/p>\n\n

One motive for the Clinton criticism, Schneider added, is that \u201cRudy Giuliani may feel Fred Thompson breathing down his neck.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

Mark Jurkowitz of PEJ<\/em> <\/p>\n\n

Top Ten Stories in the Talk Show Index<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

1. Iraq Policy Debate – 49% <\/address>\n\n
2. 2008 Campaign – 10%
<\/address>\n\n
3. September 11 Commemorations – 5%<\/address>\n\n
4. Immigration – 4% <\/address>\n\n
5. Events in Iraq – 2%<\/address>\n\n
6. bin Laden Video – 1%
<\/address>\n\n
7. Iran – 1% <\/address>\n\n
8. Larry Craig Scandal – 1%<\/address>\n\n
9. Health Care – 1%<\/address>\n\n
10. Putin Dissolves Russian Government – 1% <\/address>\n\n\n <\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Top Ten Stories in the broader News Coverage Index<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n

1. Iraq Policy Debate – 36% <\/address>\n\n
2. Events in Iraq – 6%<\/address>\n\n
3. September 11 Commemorations – 5%
<\/address>\n\n
4. 2008 Campaign – 5%<\/address>\n\n
5. Missing UK Girl – 2%<\/address>\n\n
6. Pakistan – 2%<\/address>\n\n
7. Hurricane Humberto – 2%<\/address>\n\n
8. bin Laden Video – 2%<\/address>\n\n
9. US Economy – 2%<\/address>\n\n
10. US Domestic Terrorism – 2%<\/address>\n\n

Click here<\/a> to read the methodology behind the Talk Show Index. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

General David Petraeus’ appearance on Capitol Hill last week helped turn the Iraq debate into one of the biggest talk topics of the year. The general may not have changed many minds in Congress, but he provided talk hosts on both sides of the political spectrum with plenty of ammunition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sub_headline":"PEJ Talk Show Index Sept. 9 - 14, 2007","sub_title":"PEJ Talk Show Index Sept. 9 - 14, 2007","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_api_pending":"","apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_hidden":false,"relatedPosts":[],"reportMaterials":[],"multiSectionReport":[],"package_parts__enabled":false,"package_parts":[],"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"displayBylines":true,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[],"tags":[],"bylines":[],"collection":[],"datasets":[],"level_of_effort":[],"primary_audience":[],"information_type":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[458],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[],"research-teams":[527],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-90562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","formats-report","research-teams-journalism"],"label":false,"post_parent":0,"word_count":1040,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2007\/09\/20\/pej-talk-show-index-sept-9-14-2007\/","art_direction":false,"_embeds":[],"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[],"report_materials":"","report_pagination":{"current_post":null,"next_post":null,"previous_post":null,"pagination_items":[]},"parent_info":{"parent_title":"War of Words Over War in Iraq","parent_id":90562},"materialsOrdered":[],"chaptersOrdered":[],"partsOrdered":[],"partsEnabled":false,"datacite_doi":"","prc_seo_data":{"title":"War of Words Over War in Iraq","description":"General David Petraeus’ appearance on Capitol Hill last week helped turn the Iraq debate into one of the biggest talk topics of the year. 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