Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media
Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky
A Propaganda Model
A Propaganda Model
Filters1) Concentrated Ownership 2) Advertising 3) Sourcing4) Flak5) Anti-Communism
A Propaganda Model
Media Filters1) Concentrated OwnershipThis refers to “the gradual limitation and/or narrowing of media outlets due
to the high investment costs associated with remaining commercially viable.”
Features:a. Costs of running a newspapers skyrocket:b. Media Concentration in the 1980s/ A Tiered Media
Hierarchy
A Propaganda Model
Media Filters1) Concentrated Ownership: A Tiered Media Hierarchy
The media is defined by a ranking of media outlets.
The Top Tier: Most InfluentialNewspapers
New York Times CompanyTribune Company
Cable TVCNNNews Corporation
A Propaganda Model
A Propaganda Model
Media Filters2) Advertising Advertisers dictate content. Advertising has increased the concentration of
ownership.
Advertisers v. Consumer“Advertising in a free market creates a situation where the Advertiser, not the ‘final buyer,’ shapes the final product.” (14)
A Propaganda Model
Media Filters2) Advertising: What is a Newspaper?Newspapers: are products sold to advertisers and then distributed to the
public for a nominal fee.
Features:a. Audience Quality (16) Advertisers are politically discriminatory, they support media outlets that promote views favorable to business interests, and withhold funding from those that don’t.
Example: Used Car Sales
A Propaganda Model
Media Filters3) SourcingWhere does the media go to gather information?
Features:a. Public Relations and Public Affairs Offices: Power and the
Mediab. Tactics for Managing the Media:
1) Flood the media with information.2) Develop and Deploy/Employ “Experts”
A Propaganda Model
Media Filters
4) Flak: Policing the Media: “Working the Refs”“‘Flak’ refers to negative responses to a media statement or program. (26)
Flak is related to Power: “The ability to produce flak, and especially flak that is costly and threatening, is related to power.”
Example: Conservative Media Watch Dog Groups
A Propaganda Model
Media Filters
5) Anti-CommunismAnti-Communism became by the 1980s an official state doctrine and a means
of identifying 0fficial enemies.
A Propaganda Model
Media: Institutional Structure
Owners
Publishers Publishers Publishers
Editors Editors Editors Editors Editors
Consumer Report Report Report Report Report Report
Advertiser
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