The Invidious Control of information . .
In Manufacturing Consent Noam Chomsky and Edward S Herman argue that in liberal democracies, like the US, where press is supposed to be free and work as a ‘watchdog’ of the people, there is a deeply ‘propaganistic’ top-town control of the media landscape. Economic and political elites define what is said and how it is said. Read below extracts from the first chapter of their book: The Propaganda Model
Some such as theorist, academic and intellectual Noam Chomsky, that the media is a mechanism that is deliberately used by the rich and the powerful (the elite) as a way of ‘Manufacturing Consent’
Activity: Find examples in any of your close study products that evidence the government and corporate officials as primal sources of news. Political speeches, interviews, conferences etc. Does any of your close study products provide an avenue for alternative forms of information and opinion making?
So how does this process of ‘manipulation’ or ‘persuasion’ work?
1.Structures of ownership
2.The role of advertising
3.Links with ‘The Establishment’
4.Diversionary tactics – ‘flack’
5.Uniting against a ‘common enemy’
In another approach, we can suggest that the media are ‘agenda setting’, look at this power-point to understand what this would mean for Daily Mail — then try to compose a list of important themes and political position that shape the ideological agenda of The Guardian.
AGENDA SETTING
FRAMING
MYTH MAKING
CONDITIONS OF CONSUMPTION