Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher and political activist.  He is a Laureate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Arizona and an Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology  (MIT), and is the author of more than 150 books on topics such as linguistics, war, politics, and mass media. Chomsky’s political values have changed since his childhood when he was influenced by the emphasis on political activism that was ingrained in Jewish working-class tradition. He thinks best meet human needs: liberty, community, and freedom of association. Chomsky explains how propaganda and systemic biases function in corporate mass media. He goes on to explain how populations are manipulated and how consent for economic, social, and political policies, both foreign and domestic, is “manufactured” in the public mind due to this propaganda. This results in narrowing the public sphere and the audience engaging passively instead of actively. This is an example of Lasswell’s passive consumption model (who?-says what?-in which channel?-to whom?-with what effect?) They no longer challenge anything and think what they are told is “facts” making them easily manipulated. The I creates contrast and appears that it is positioned on the left-wing spectrum, however the I is owned by DMGT which presents views of patriotism and right-wing conservative. (70% of news papers are owned by just three companies). Active consumption can be processed through education of media tactics. Roland Barthes who talks about semiotics presented in the media and how that manipulates public consent, e.g, colours, font, pictures, where things are positioned. According to Chomsky “propaganda is to democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state,” and the mass media is the primary vehicle for delivering propaganda in the United States. We generally believe that we are more free than authoritarian states, when in fact Noam Chomsky says that we are not and that our freedom of choice is an illusion.

Five filters of media:

• Ownership– e.g if there are only a few companies

Part of bigger conglomerates with an end game of profit. Push for what gets them that profit that’s their interest. Journalism comes second.

• Advertising

They are not selling you products they are selling advertisers products. Advertisers are paying for audiences. Audience becomes the product. The motive of the media is profit, critical journalism takes second place. The media costs more than audiences will ever pay, so advertisers are needed to fill the gap – they are selling audiences to advertisers. Whistle-blowers’ stories are trashed, and diversions are made.

• Links with establishment (official sources) e.g. friends with the higher ups.

Being friends with higher ups helps to promote your career. Risk of losing job if not.

• Flak (strong criticism) – persuaded to think about something else

When the story doesn’t work in their favour they undermine and discredit journalists/media to manipulate audiences into believing them.

• uniting against a ‘common enemy’–

They tell us that (example) is bad because we all need a common enemy. Helps with public vote.

• Agenda setting
• Framing
• Mythmaking
• conditions of consumption

The Printing Press:

• The Printing Press was created in Germany around 1440.
• This invention made way for the spread of news through a different media forms.
• ‘The Peterloo Masacre’