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Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: The media will not criticize the ruling elite, but may appear to when opinions within elite ranks are very deeply divided.
Chapter 2: The mass media use a 'propaganda model' that filters out information directly opposing elite interests.
Chapter 3: Most of the mass media are owned by a few wealthy families and corporations whose main goal is profit.
Chapter 4: The media rely on advertising revenue to survive and will therefore take steps to keep advertisers very happy.
Chapter 5: The media’s need for steady material compels them to depend on government agencies and large corporations.
Chapter 6: The elite punish critical media by generating 'flak'.
Chapter 7: The mass media see all events through the lens of the fight against communism.
Chapter 8: When covering world news, the mass media strongly favor states that are aligned with the West.
Chapter 9: The media will often use 'expert' opinions to bolster their biased views.
Chapter 10: The mass media regard some people’s lives as more worthy than others, depending on what message their deaths convey.
Description
Manufacturing Consent (1988) takes a critical view of the mass media to ask why only a narrow range of opinions are favored whilst others are suppressed or ignored.
It formulates a propaganda model which shows how alternative and independent information is filtered out by various financial and political factors allowing the news agenda to be dominated by those working on behalf of the wealthy and powerful. Far from being a free press, the media in fact maintain our unequal and unfair society.
Who Should Listen
- Anyone who wants to know who sets the agenda of the mass media
- Anyone who would like to know whose interests the media serve
- Anyone who wants to understand why the mass media suppress independent voices