Rushed to Judgment : Talk Radio, Persuasion, and American Political Behavior

Convenient, entertaining and provocative, talk radio is unapologetically ideological.

This text systematically examines the manner and extent to which listening to this popular medium results in persuasion.

The focus is on the medium's ringleader - Rush Limbaugh - the talk show host with the largest audience.

Does listening to talk radio change the way people think about politics or are listeners' attitudes a function of the nature of the audience?

Does talk radio enhance understanding of public issues or serve as a breeding ground for misunderstanding?

Can talk radio serve as an agent of deliberative democracy, spurring Americans to open public debate? Or has talk radio rekindled the partisan press of times past? "Rushed to Judgment?" evaluates the effects of a medium that is not likely to disappear.