Manufacturing Consent

Outline

Manufacturing Consent (1988) argues that the mass media in democratic societies can shape public opinion in ways that serve powerful interests, even without direct censorship. Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky present their propaganda model, describing how ownership, advertising, reliance on official sources, pressure from critics, and prevailing ideology act as filters on the news. The book remains a landmark in media criticism.

• Mass media in democratic societies can shape public opinion to serve powerful interests, even without direct censorship.
• The authors' propaganda model describes five filters that act on the news: ownership, advertising, official sources, pressure from critics, and prevailing ideology.
• Ownership and advertising influence which stories get told and how they are framed.
• Reliance on official sources means the news often reflects the views of those already in power.
• Published in 1988, the book remains a landmark in media criticism.

Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky combined economics and political analysis in their study of the media. Herman (1925–2017) was an American economist and professor of finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Chomsky is an American linguist and political commentator at MIT, known for his theory of generative grammar and his writing on power and politics.