Public Radio Talk Show Hosts and Social Conflict: An Analysis of Self-Reported Roles During Debates and Discussion

Abstract

By interviewing and thus gathering data from 10 prominent public radio talk show hosts as to how they perceive their tasks and actions during conflict-related debates and discussions, the authors were able to categorize these self-reflections in terms of the hosts' overall communicative, directive, and procedural strategies. This article reflects on the degree to which these activities define the overall roles of public radio talk show hosts and especially on whether these social actors perceive their moderating roles as a form of third party intervention similar to the work of facilitators or mediators of social conflict.