Understanding the Structural Submission of the Media to Dominant Power According to Noam Chomsky in Manufacturing Consent
According to Noam Chomsky in Manufacturing Consent, mainstream Western media structurally defend the interests of the ruling power.
In Manufacturing Consent (1988), Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman identify five filters through which Western media align with the interests of dominant power. This means that the latter doesn’t need to resort to censorship.
Discover Ares and Athena, Gods of War.
Size, Ownership, and Profit Orientation
First, it’s important to remember that major media outlets are huge corporations run by billionaires or CEOs, who are themselves closely controlled by purely profit-driven interest groups. These companies, therefore, share common interests with other corporations, banks, and the government.
Advertising
The economic model of mainstream media relies on advertising. This dependency leads to an alignment with advertisers’ interests and a reduction in content quality.
Source Selection
Powerful institutions maintain a continuous flow of information to the media. These “official” sources (government, industrial groups, experts) are cheaper than sending a reporter into the field. Moreover, their information is readily accepted and requires no verification. Today, we can cite the media’s obsession with the Twitter accounts of political leaders, a convenient and free source.
Flak. Noam Chomsky in Manufacturing Consent.
Any dissenting opinion faces a barrage of criticism from institutional actors, such as think tanks (often conservative), the government, or other media outlets.
Ideology
Lastly, information that aligns with the dominant ideology (at the time of Manufacturing Consent, anti-communism) is less likely to be scrutinized than information that challenges it.
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To summarize, according to Manufacturing Consent, mainstream media’s defense of ruling power interests is structural, almost invisible, and therefore much more effective than censorship.
Read also Progressive Neoliberalism According to Nancy Fraser.
Another topic : Charles de Gaulle, General Culture As The True School Of Command.
