Rush Limbaugh was among the first of the so-called “shock-jocks.” Over the last decade or so, the dominance of angry, polemical voices in American media has had a profound effect on political debate in the United States. This increase has been facilitated by the concentration of broadcast ownership in very few hands; and it has diminished viewpoint diversity considerably. With the death of the Fairness Doctrine, with overall regulatory retreat, and with little reference to journalistic ethics, American radio and television political reportage has abandoned many of the standards of fact-based reporting, even as a coterie of privately-underwritten partisan pundits has gained credibility and influence. This presentation will examine the history and consequence of this phenomenon