In 'Manufacturing Consent', Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky unravel the intricate mechanisms of mass media and its role in shaping public perception. They propose that media serves the interests of a powerful elite, curating narratives that perpetuate consumerism and obedience. Through a thorough examination of news production and propaganda, the authors challenge readers to question the veracity of information presented to them. This provocative analysis reveals how consent is manufactured in democratic societies, rather than freely given. Prepare to rethink the very nature of media influence and the underlying forces that govern our realities.
By Edward S. Herman, Noam Chomsky
Published: 2002
"The general populace must be understood as the unwitting puppet of a much larger system of manipulation, where consent is manufactured and dissent is silenced."
A "compelling indictment of the news media's role in covering up errors and deceptions" (The New York Times Book Review) due to the underlying economics of publishing—from famed scholars Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky. With a new introduction. In this pathbreaking work, Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky show that, contrary to the usual image of the news media as cantankerous, obstinate, and ubiquitous in their search for truth and defense of justice, in their actual practice they defend the economic, social, and political agendas of the privileged groups that dominate domestic society, the state, and the global order. Based on a series of case studies—including the media’s dichotomous treatment of “worthy” versus “unworthy” victims, “legitimizing” and “meaningless” Third World elections, and devastating critiques of media coverage of the U.S. wars against Indochina—Herman and Chomsky draw on decades of criticism and research to propose a Propaganda Model to explain the media’s behavior and performance. Their new introduction updates the Propaganda Model and the earlier case studies, and it discusses several other applications. These include the manner in which the media covered the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement and subsequent Mexican financial meltdown of 1994-1995, the media’s handling of the protests against the World Trade Organization, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund in 1999 and 2000, and the media’s treatment of the chemical industry and its regulation. What emerges from this work is a powerful assessment of how propagandistic the U.S. mass media are, how they systematically fail to live up to their self-image as providers of the kind of information that people need to make sense of the world, and how we can understand their function in a radically new way.
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“The general populace must be understood as the unwitting puppet of a much larger system of manipulation, where consent is manufactured and dissent is silenced.”
Manufacturing Consent
By Edward S. Herman, Noam Chomsky
Discover a world of knowledge through our extensive collection of book summaries.
Edward S. Herman (1925-2017) was an influential American economist, media analyst, and author, best known for his exploration of media and propaganda in modern society. A prominent figure in the field of media studies, he co-authored the groundbreaking book 'Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media' with Noam Chomsky, which critiques the ways in which media serves the interests of powerful elites. Herman's works often emphasize the economic and political dimensions of media production, highlighting the interplay between corporate interests and public information. His clear, analytical writing style made complex theories accessible, earning him recognition as a pivotal voice in discussions surrounding media ethics and democracy.
Noam Chomsky is a world-renowned linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, and social critic. Born on December 7, 1928, he has profoundly impacted multiple fields, particularly with his theory of transformational-generative grammar, which revolutionized modern linguistics. Chomsky's notable works include "Syntactic Structures," "Aspects of the Theory of Syntax," and "Language and Mind," as well as influential political texts like "Manufacturing Consent" and "Hegemony or Survival." His writing style is characterized by clarity, precision, and a commitment to addressing complex ideas in an accessible manner, often interweaving profound theoretical insights with a critical analysis of societal issues.
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