Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media
by Mark Achbar
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Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media is the companion book to the celebrated film of the same name about world-renowned linguist and social theorist Noam Chomsky.Winner of 15 international awards, Manufacturing Consent played commercially to packed theatres in over 300 cities worldwide and aired on national TV in 15 countries. At the box office, it is the most successful Canadian documentary in history.The film charts the life of America's most famous dissident, from his boyhood show more days running his uncle's newsstand in Manhattan to his current role as outspoken social critic.This companion volume explores the breadth of Chomsky's thought, from his pioneering work in linguistics, to his radical politics, to his analysis of professional sports.A complete transcript of the film is complemented by key excerpts from the writings, interviews and correspondence of Chomsky, co-author Edward S. Herman, and others. Also included are further exchanges between Chomsky and his critics, additional historical and biographical material, filmmakers' notes, a resource guide, and 300 stills from the film.Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media has been designed to help readers easily survey the breadth of Chomsky's thinking. show lessTags
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Chilling, challenging, and vital.
As the authors themselves concede at points throughout this book, it is unpleasant to confront the manifest failings of the fourth estate in such frank and substantiated reality as is present here.
More disheartening still is the realisation that, even as an alumni of tertiary journalism study, and current employee of the mass media, that your own understanding of the media's biases and general mode of operation have been blind to these failings - so obvious when examined and laid bare by a properly critical eye.
What's downright mortifying to consider, is that this book was written in the 80s, about the media of the time. Anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of the media landscape of the 21st show more century will know, is that the quagmire of elite interest and monopolised power is orders of magnitude worse-off now than it was.
While I do believe that the internet has been a great force for good in the arena of encouraging an informed and capable domestic polity and wider global public, the very freedom and low-cost entry barrier that allow true diversity of opinion and objective reporting, have also given rise to unprecedented levels of disinformation; propaganda; and outright lies (from both extremes of the political spectrum).
The 2018 study from Vosoughi, Roy, and Aral published in Science in March of that year, showed that of the 62% of adults that consume news through social media (Gottfried & Shearer, Pew Research Center [journalism.org], 2016), not only are they exposed to unprecedented levels of nefarious and distractionary offal, but that it propagates on these platforms far more readily than any factual information could hope to.
"A lie can travel around the world and back again while the truth is lacing up its boots." - (Possibly) Mark Twain.
I think the best proof of the Herman/Chomsky propaganda model's enduring validity is this: we live in the most peaceful and prosperous time in recorded history (Pinker, 2011) - but the richest 1% now control 45% of the world's wealth (Credit Suisse Global Wealth Databook 2018). The mass media instead paints a picture of doom and gloom both domestically and abroad, and any serious suggestion of attempting to structure policies to redistribute wealth - no matter how tentative and mild - are immediately attacked with denunciations of socialism, even communism, in language that would not have been out-of-place in the red panic of the cold war.
Ultimately, the conclusion of Manufacturing Consent closes with a sentiment that bears repeating: public broadcasting and media needs to be well-funded, fiercely defended, and politically unencumbered. The wholesale shuttering and consolidation of local media, whether print; radio; or television, is a disturbing trend that only serves to further weaken the integrity of the fourth estate.
The sad conclusion is that the responsibility falls to us as communities and individuals to regulate our media diet, and be unwavering in our scepticism and critical evaluation of what we consume. Seek alternative viewpoints, explanation, analysis. The existence of frames in reporting is universal, what these frames filter is not. show less
As the authors themselves concede at points throughout this book, it is unpleasant to confront the manifest failings of the fourth estate in such frank and substantiated reality as is present here.
More disheartening still is the realisation that, even as an alumni of tertiary journalism study, and current employee of the mass media, that your own understanding of the media's biases and general mode of operation have been blind to these failings - so obvious when examined and laid bare by a properly critical eye.
What's downright mortifying to consider, is that this book was written in the 80s, about the media of the time. Anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of the media landscape of the 21st show more century will know, is that the quagmire of elite interest and monopolised power is orders of magnitude worse-off now than it was.
While I do believe that the internet has been a great force for good in the arena of encouraging an informed and capable domestic polity and wider global public, the very freedom and low-cost entry barrier that allow true diversity of opinion and objective reporting, have also given rise to unprecedented levels of disinformation; propaganda; and outright lies (from both extremes of the political spectrum).
The 2018 study from Vosoughi, Roy, and Aral published in Science in March of that year, showed that of the 62% of adults that consume news through social media (Gottfried & Shearer, Pew Research Center [journalism.org], 2016), not only are they exposed to unprecedented levels of nefarious and distractionary offal, but that it propagates on these platforms far more readily than any factual information could hope to.
"A lie can travel around the world and back again while the truth is lacing up its boots." - (Possibly) Mark Twain.
I think the best proof of the Herman/Chomsky propaganda model's enduring validity is this: we live in the most peaceful and prosperous time in recorded history (Pinker, 2011) - but the richest 1% now control 45% of the world's wealth (Credit Suisse Global Wealth Databook 2018). The mass media instead paints a picture of doom and gloom both domestically and abroad, and any serious suggestion of attempting to structure policies to redistribute wealth - no matter how tentative and mild - are immediately attacked with denunciations of socialism, even communism, in language that would not have been out-of-place in the red panic of the cold war.
Ultimately, the conclusion of Manufacturing Consent closes with a sentiment that bears repeating: public broadcasting and media needs to be well-funded, fiercely defended, and politically unencumbered. The wholesale shuttering and consolidation of local media, whether print; radio; or television, is a disturbing trend that only serves to further weaken the integrity of the fourth estate.
The sad conclusion is that the responsibility falls to us as communities and individuals to regulate our media diet, and be unwavering in our scepticism and critical evaluation of what we consume. Seek alternative viewpoints, explanation, analysis. The existence of frames in reporting is universal, what these frames filter is not. show less
Written in 1988, Manufacturing Consent is the classic left-wing analysis of US mass media as a "propaganda model". Chomsky and Herman challenged accepted notions of press objectivity (and this was way before Fox News!).
An excerpt: "The mass media serve as a system for communicating messages and symbols to the general populace. It is their function to amuse, entertain, and inform, and to inculcate individuals with the values, beliefs, and codes of behavior that will integrate them into the institutional structures of the larger society. In a world of concentrated wealth and major conflicts of class interest, to fulfill this role requires systematic propaganda."
Read it critically, but read it and especially read the footnotes, which show more provide the sources to back up their claims. The authors provide specific examples of how major media, especially the New York Times' foreign policy coverage to demonstrate how the propaganda model works. It will change the way you read the newspaper or watch TV news. Brilliant stuff. show less
An excerpt: "The mass media serve as a system for communicating messages and symbols to the general populace. It is their function to amuse, entertain, and inform, and to inculcate individuals with the values, beliefs, and codes of behavior that will integrate them into the institutional structures of the larger society. In a world of concentrated wealth and major conflicts of class interest, to fulfill this role requires systematic propaganda."
Read it critically, but read it and especially read the footnotes, which show more provide the sources to back up their claims. The authors provide specific examples of how major media, especially the New York Times' foreign policy coverage to demonstrate how the propaganda model works. It will change the way you read the newspaper or watch TV news. Brilliant stuff. show less
94min.50s. In an energetic fusion of images and ideas, this two-volume video explores the political life and ideas of the controversial author, linguist and radical philosopher, Noam Chomsky. Highlighting Chomsky's analysis and criticisms of the media, Manufacturing Consent focuses on democratic societies where populations not disciplined by force are subjected to more subtle forms of ideological control. Shocking examples of media deception permeate Chomsky's critique of the forces at work behind the daily news.
Based on Canada's National Film Board (NFB) video interview with Noam Chomsky includes 16 All Philosopher All-Stars card. Very informative and good companion to DVD or video by NFB
The Companion Book to the Award-Winning Film
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