The Media as Conduit for Political Propaganda Essay

The Media as Conduit for Political Propaganda According to the latest polls, 90% of Americans favor military retaliation for the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Taking into consideration that all aggregate data is used for self-serving means, this number is still exceptionally large. The numbers are manufactured by propaganda vehicles, or rather the mainstream media. In a sort of Orwellian fashion, the media bombards the audience with images, voices, and memoirs of death, grief, and pain that pervert their way into public consciousness, creating a sort of â€Å"group-think.† In the essay â€Å"Propaganda, American-style,† Noam Chomsky writes: In totalitarian societies, propaganda doesn’t really try to control your thoughts.†¦show more content†¦Such is the nature of the â€Å"democratic† beast. This concept of â€Å"manufactured consent†, a term coined by American journalist Walter Lippman, should come as no surprise considering that the media is a vehicle and a product of capitalism. The metaphor of money equals power has a large stake in the operations of the media. The news stations, newspapers, and radio stations are all controlled by a powerful elite; yet, the media themselves are huge profit-seeking corporations. They are integrated into the market, and are thus subject to criticism and control by their stockholders. The stockholders want the bottom line, or in other words, what they want to hear. Money and power are the means through which the news is filtered, dissent is squelched, and political agenda is satisfied. In Noam Chomsky’s work Manufacturing Consent, the relationship between objectivity and the media is explained. The elite domination of the media and marginalization of dissidents that results from the operation of these filters occurs so naturally that media news people, frequently operating with complete integrity and goodwill, are able to convince themselves that they choose and interpret the news â€Å"objectively† and on the basis of professional news values. This concept of objectivity is unable to exist in a nation so reliant on systematic bias. The symbiotic relationship between the media and the powerful elite makes it difficult for a reporter to cut of ties with those whoShow MoreRelatedRole Of Politics In Cambodian Politics1037 Words   |  5 Pages whose leaders finally see a chance of cornering the government. On June 4, a dozen parties will compete for over 1,600 communes across the country. 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