I really urge you to take a look at the Twitter hastag #StopRush, it’s one of the more depressing places on the internet; one can’t help but feel sorry for people who spend their day tweeting obsessively the same things over and over again, day after day, when the rest of the world (except for Media Matters and NOW) has moved on.
One piece of news which had the #StopRush folks cheering was a report that Limbaugh’s ratings plunged in April, which gave hope that their tweets were not in vain.
Well, as with many misleading political memes, there was a kernal of truth there. But only comparing April to March, which was a blockbuster month for Limbaugh. As reported fairly by The Hollywood Reporter, Reports of Rush Limbaugh Ratings Plunge Exaggerated
Reports circulating online Tuesday indicating a massive drop in Rush Limbaugh’s audience – as much as 40 percent in some markets – might be premature.The Arbitron data that was released to several reporters shows a decline from March to April — presumably due to Limbaugh’s characterization of law student/activist Sandra Fluke as a “slut” — but only after a surge that was probably caused by the same incident.Reports circulating online Tuesday indicating a massive drop in Rush Limbaugh’s audience – as much as 40 percent in some markets – might be premature.The Arbitron data that was released to several reporters shows a decline from March to April — presumably due to Limbaugh’s characterization of law student/activist Sandra Fluke as a “slut” — but only after a surge that was probably caused by the same incident.
Tom Maguire had a similar analysis, and notes how it’s spun:
What’s fun, in an entirely predictable way, is the loss of nuance at Media Matters, which only notes the lead.
The effort to force Limbaugh off the airwaves is not over, but in the key demographic — people who listen to him on the radio — he hasn’t been damaged.
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