Review Of Herman And Chomsky Essay

The Manufacturing Consent of media operations written and applied by Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky vocalise that elect mass media be united and interlocked with other institutional sectors in ownership, management and social circles. In democratic societies mass media plays an important voice. They reply to gay race concerns and create aw beness to the state policies important events and military position points.The fundamental principles of democracy depend upon the notion of a reasonably informed electorate that reflects general opinion and respond to public concerns Media is an integral part of the society, media need not be controlled or set to a plan they work united with other sectors.(European Journal of Communication 2002, pg.147).Herman and Chomskys propaganda puzzle has been named as conspiracy speculation because of its readyd view of media behavior, according to them mass media be instruments of power that rebound restrain for special interests that eclip se the state and private activity and mass media acts in unison with other sectors, i.e. the academy, to establish, enforce, reinforce and police corporal hegemony. (European Journal of Communication 2002, pg148) . Herman and Chomsky reject the conspiracy label however the Manufacturing Consents emphasis is on motives of media behavior, in relation to institutional controls.(Herman and Chomsky 1988,pg 1-35).The model light upons that media designs should be explained in structural terms. According to Herman and Chomsky there ar five major droping mechanisms which structure the intelligence operation content. The authors admit that propaganda model cannot give e rattling detail of much(prenominal) a complex matter as the working of the national mass media, the model does not assume that news reporters, editors and other workers are instructed or typically compelled to omit some voices and emphasize others, the model outlines tidy sum below which media will be comparatively ope n or closed.As micro-analysis is not the problem of the Propaganda Model, it solely provides an overview of the system at work, making sense out of a confusing picture by removing the main principles of the system, the basic argument in this context is that meanings are easily filtered by restrictions that are do in the system. The authors argue that meanings are formed at odd levels, as the decisions are understood to be natural and sensible, however the authors do not imply that newsroom workers always make decisions to align themselves with the interests of the dominant elites.(Rai,1995pg46)Herman and Chomsky deliver that all news material goes with five inter related filter restrictions. Leaving only cleansed residue fit to be printed.(Herman and Chomsky1988pg 3-14). The five filter elements are (1) the size, concentrated ownership, owners wealth, and net income orientation of the dominant mass-media (2) advertising as the primary income source of the mass media. (3) the re liance of the media on randomness provided by brass, line of business, and experts funded and approved by the primary sources and agents of power. (Martin and horse cavalry 1997,pg 253-254). (4) Opposition as means of disciplining the media (5) anti-communism as a national religion and control mechanism.(Herman ,cited in Wintonick and Achbar,1994pg108).The first filter restriction emphasizes that media are closely interlinked and luck common interests with other dominant sectors as corporations, the state, and banks. The dominant media sectors are large firms with large businesses they are controlled by real wealthy people or by their managers who are subject to sharp restrictions by the owners. The moment filter emphasizes that the news production process is highly influenced by advertising values ,most media must give away markets(readers) to buyers(advertisers).This dependency can directly influence media performance, Chomsky remarks that media content reflects the intere sts of the sellers, the buyers, and the product .Herman contends that the application of the first and second filters of the propaganda model has greatly influenced the economy the communications industries, and politics went with dramatic changes the two filters ,ownership and advertising have puzzle even more important. The third filter is the news gathering process, the dominant elite provide stir releases, copies of speeches, periodicals, photos, and thus government and corporate sources are attractive to media only for economic reasons. The third filter stresses that the opinions by corporate and state sources are adapted to class interest and market force.Herman and Chomsky stress that the nature of the vulgar relationship between media and sources directly affect the media performance. The respectable can use personal relationships, threats, rewards, to influence media. The media under obligations may carry untrue stories in redact not to offend their close relationshi p with the sources. The twenty-five percent filter, flak, means the state the dominant social institution which has power and resources to force the media to play a propagandist role in societyHerman and Chomsky explain that flak refers to negative responses to media statement, it may involve individuals or nonsymbiotic action, and the authors contend that preferred meanings are structured by dominating official sources, in this way news may be skewed in the desired direction. The fifth filter, the anti-communism has been replaced by otherness Its the whim of scaring people, creating fear, hatred, and discontent aroused by social and economic conditions, to forestall them from realizing to what is really happening to them.(Chomsky 1998 pg48).The authors maintain that media shapes public opinion by controlling how ideas are presented the five filters curb the flow of the news as it passes through its gates and can easily limit what can be big news.Herman and Chomsky state that t hese five filter constraints are the essentials of propaganda model, the members of the power elite try to shape the beliefs and attitudes and opinions of the people through the media, bare and open discussions are part of the process scarcely leaders utilize deceit and violence to combat individuals and institutions as the public does not agree with the opinion of the power elite. The world politics has seen radical changes since the demise of communism in the former Soviet Union as mentioned in the Manufacturing Consent.The fifth filter is termed the dominant ideology through out this book, however, anti communism has been emphasized as the ideologic elements that are most important in terms of discipline and control mechanisms. The Manufacturing Consent, gives a vague description of the fifth filter its ideology helps to mobilize people against an enemy it can be used against any policies that threaten property interests or support the communist states and radicalism, the model presumes that media performance is understood as the outcome of market forces, the dominant media are deeply and firmly imbedded in the market system, the main information sources ,the media depends on are the government and major business firms.Herman and Chomsky view media as dominant ideological apparatus same as mentioned in the thesis by William Domhoff in his book ,The Powers That Be Processes of Ruling Class Domination in America. (Domhoff 1979,pg 169). Domhoff contends that the four basic processes through which the ruling class rules are (1)the special interest process(2)policy formation process(3)candidate selection and(4)the ideological process, the Herman and Chomskys theory is the mirror of Domhoffs theory of ideological apparatus for dominant elites.(Domhoff1979,179-183).The Canadian sociologist Wallace merciful writes about the ruling class of Canada, he states through observation that the ruling elite have remained undifferentiated over the past century. The insti tutional links within Canada are at elite level, ownership of crown is highly concentrated.(Canadian corporeal Elite1975). Another Canadian sociologist Patricia Marchak (1988pg122),stresses that the main question is under what conditions the state would be obliged to act only with reference to the interests of the capital. When such conditions are obtained universally, and when they do, the validity of Propaganda Model is likely to increase.(Patricia Marchak1988,pg34).Herman and Chomsky do not claim that media acts only to circulate propaganda. The Propaganda Model describes the forces that cause the mass media to play a propaganda role they also argue that media not only serve the political and economic interests of dominant elite but also of the state. The authors admit that the propaganda model does not explain everything in every context it deals with the patterns of media behavior and performance. The elite media decides what topics, issues, and events that are to be consider ed news worthy by the lower-tier media and establish the general discourse, they determine, they select, they shape, they control, they restrict in order to serve the dominant elite groups in the society.This system is at odds with reality as the powerful are able to decide what the general public is allowed to see, hear, think and create public opinion by regular control. Individual powerlessness grows in the face of globalizing market support organizations as the labor unions are weakened .In the final pages of Manufacturing Consent Herman and Chomsky acknowledge that the system is not all powerful, the domination of media by government and the elite have not overcome Vietnam syndrome and public hostility to direct US involvement in destabilization and over throw of foreign governments. Herman and Chomsky took the phrase manufacturing swallow from the influential American journalist Walter Lippman who advocated react engineering.He said common good should be managed by small spe cialized class. The creation of fancy is not a new art, it was supposed to have died out with the birth of democracy but it is very much alive, it is now based on analysis rather than on rule of thumb. The engineering of consent is the essence of democratic process, (Bernays 1947, cited in Wintonick and Achbar, 1994 pg41). the freedom of speech, press, petition, and assembly the freedoms to make the engineering of consent possible are the most cherished guarantees of the Constitution of the United States.(Lippman, cited inRai,1995pg23). John Jay was the first chief justice of the Supreme chat up he said those who own the country ought to govern it in other words it is necessary to hold in that those who own the country are happy or else all will suffer, for they control investment and determine what is produced and distributed and what benefits will trickle down to those who rent themselves to the owners when they can.The propaganda model contends that media content is organized to manufacture consent and to prevent opposition media content serves political ends the media makes choices that establish and define worthy and unworthy causes. The news coverage prone to government(state)policy in general(foreign and domestic) by the elite to generate audience interest and sympathy in some stories go directing attention away from other stories Media take close interest in the Third initiation and their interconnections with the government.(Herman and Chomsky,1988pg13-14).The authors write that media treats victims of oppression and state act of act of terrorism differently, depending on the perpetrators. The unworthy victims (victims of oppression and /or state terrorism perpetrated by us (Canada, the US and the other capitalist democracies), and worthy victims (victims of oppression and/or state terrorism perpetrated by official enemy states).Different treatment is observed in sourcing and evaluating stories, full swing investigation in search of villain a nd of high officials, to humane treatment more prominent coverage.In case of unworthy victims of enemy crimes, allegations are simply invented they have to rely on official US. sources unless they prove it wrong in which case they are avoided(Cambodia under Pol Pot is a case in point).It predicts that the victims of state terrorism/violence that is perpetuated by the democracies or client states will be given treatment that can be seen to serve political ends (Chomsky, 1988 pg34). The writers as moral agents are trying to bring the truth about matters of human significance to an audience that can do something about them.My personal view is that citizens of democratic societies should take a definite course of self- defense to protect their rights with the help of radio and television, advertising and public relations to rubber eraser guard their rights from being manipulated. The Independent mind must be allowed to develop and grow in a free society it is a difficult task as in tod ays free society, consent is manipulation of public opinion. I do agree with the writers, in my view the young minds should break themselves from the official manipulative system. Thus the writers are invested with a moral responsibility to tell the truth, it is a very difficult task to perform today even in our free society.Works CitedClement, W. (1975) Canadian Corporate Elite Analysis of Economic Power. TorontoMcClelland and Stewart.Domhoff, William G. (1979) The Powers That Be Processes of Ruling ClassDomination in America. New York vintage Books.European Journal of Communication (2002) SAGE Publications(London, Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi), Vol 17(2) 147182.02673231(200206)172 147182 023691Martin, Michele with Graham Knight (1997) Communication and Mass MediaCulture, Domination and Opposition. Toronto Prentice-Hall.Wintonick, Peter and Mark Achbar (1994) Manufacturing Consent Noam Chomskyand the Media. Montreal Black Rose.