Review of Manufacturing Consent The Political Economy of the Mass Media - Book Report/Review Example

Book Review of “Manufacturing Consent " The Political Economy of the Mass Media by by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky Herman and Chomskys book is based on the propaganda model, which sets out to make a description of diverse factors that have come to influence the mainstream media not only in the United States, but also in the rest of the world. One would say that the book, based on experiences throughout the history of media, is focuses on describing five factors which serve as distortions that are applied to news reporting in mass media. These authors take on an anarchist view from the very beginning of the book, often considering the relationship between the media and its owners on one hand, and the various players in the creation and distribution of news. They state that the way in which the media reports news is normally not the most objective since it works towards the protection of the interests of those individuals with influence within the society and completely ignores those of the masses. As a result, there has developed a situation where the news which the mass media produces for public consumption is no longer necessarily in the interests of the public since it is often distorted to serve the interests of a few individuals. The news is no longer as accurate as it should be because of the fact that there is always a bias towards those who have a massive influence on the media outlets, making the latter to be ineffective in their obligations towards the public. It is mainly these issues among many others that are discussed in the book and this makes the book a very important read for those who are interested in how mass media works. Among the most fundamental issues of concern that are discussed in the book is concerning the growing size of media empires as well as their orientation to profit making (Herman & Chomsky, 1988). The principal mass media channels are large companies which are run for profit and because of this; their actions have been aimed at the realization of profits and nothing more. These institutions have been designed to cater to the financial interest of their owners, most of who have massive corporate interest, or are involved in the development of their own personal interests (Buehler, 2011). The size of media companies can be considered an indispensable product of the capital requirements for the technology to reach a massive audience, since it is through the latter that they can be able to set their agenda to the public. The global integration of media ownership is a serious issue that is tackled in the book and it can be concluded that the global integration of mass media leads to less freedom of choice in what the masses are interested in seeing and instead, they are forced to accept what the media industry wishes them to see (Anderson, 1997). When one reads the book, they would conclude that the product of an integrated media possesses the ulterior motive of repressing the imagination and rendering the masses socially and politically inactive. This would be in the interests of the elite within the society because this media product is able to confine the thought of the public to meaningless things because they are the victims of what is offered to them. The media industry in this instance has come to turn both the media contents and their audiences into something similar to commodities, whose main purpose is to make a profit. Through the mass media, individuals end up being shown contents which have no real meaning to them to such an extent that their dependency comes to be based on nothing but a mirage and not a true reflection of what really goes on in society. The global integration of media ownership, it can be said, has also led to the decrease of any real diversity in the various media and this, it is suggested in the book, might result in the growing dependency of the masses on a single media form. From the points made in the book by Herman and Chomsky, it can be said that the public interest in communication is subordinated to private interests by the capitalist media owners because opposition and alternative voices are marginalized in favor of that of the influential individuals in the society. Furthermore, the news concerning dominant groups, such as political figures and corporations, is given more time on air than that of the minority ones and this shows the unconscious attitudes that are predominant in society as well as the power of the elite to manipulate the media in its favour (Page, 1996). In addition, there is the suggestion that individuals within the society can get dependent on a single medium due to the unavailability of alternatives since many of the potential alternatives are either run out of business or absorbed by larger mass media corporations. Since most worlds’ media are privately owned, the ideas of the owners come to become prominent in the lives of those audiences dependent on this media, and these tend to eventually take these ideas at face value and continue to perpetuate it within their societies (Rossman, 2004). The book is mainly concerned about the effect of media on the society, especially more about the use of the elite within such a society of the mass media to further their own ends, namely, the maintenance of their status (Herman & Chomsky, 1988). Similar to Marxist beliefs, the authors believe that mass media is used to control the population through ensuring that the ideals of the elite are planted into their daily lives to such an extent that there is always a point of agreement whenever the leadership takes actions which would otherwise have been unpopular (Korn, 2004). Therefore, mass media is no longer used for the purpose of social progress as well as increasing public knowledge on diverse issues, as is claimed by the various media corporations. It is used instead for the purpose of maintaining the status quo so that the public can continue to render their support to the elite and in the process making the elite richer, while the rest remain ignorant of the realities of the situation. Through influential people having a stake in media ownership, there individuals are able to limit the content and quality of the news that the masses can access, thus they are able to perpetuate and justify their continued dominance of the society while at the same time ensuring that their desired policies are implemented (Da Silva & Rothman, 2011). An example of situations where mass media is used to dominate the society is in those countries that are ruled by autocratic regimes. These countries tend to have only one state television and radio station which is normally used to spread the state’s propaganda among the masses and in this way, the regime is able to maintain its grip on power. The authors claim that the structure of mass media, following a long established trend, tends towards monopoly and this is mainly because of the fact that the development of a monopoly leads to great power (Herman & Chomsky, 1988). It is not in the best interests of the public to leave such power in the hands of a few media owners because they might be tempted to abuse it to serve not only their own interests, but also those of their partners in other industries. It can be said that mass media in the current world does not facilitate free speech and political discussion because they are likely not to be open enough to promote debate on all points of view. Despite the belief that credible mass media calls for there to be facts, accuracy and completeness, most of the media corporations today do not follow this code. In its place, the mass media only promote that which is most profitable to them and that of the promotion of those individuals who have an influence on them. After reading the book, one will find that the development of media monopoly is most likely to lead to a complete dominance of the audience by the media owners since most of the media available might be in the hands of a few individuals (Boyd-Barrett, 2012). Mass media owned by such individuals are most likely to follow their political, social, and economic ideals, resulting in the public being dependent on a biased viewpoint on issues of importance making their way of thinking adjust to suit that perpetuated by the media. The book makes the point that there has developed an unprecedented relationship between the mass media and politicians to such an extent that one will see media taking sides in political matters (Salmon, 1989). Among the most noteworthy relationships that can be mentioned is that which the current American president has been able to foster with the media. Barack Obama is among the most media friendly presidents that have ever been at the White House and this has ensured that his image always gets plenty of media attention. As a consequence of this personal relationship with reporters from diverse media, Obama from the beginning of his career got more coverage from it than his political rivals and this ensured that he was popular enough to garner the needed votes to take back the presidency. Different media have over the years developed into some of the most powerful and influential institutions all over the world and many politicians’ use of these institutions has been very skilful especially considering many politicians consider it to be a means of serving their own interests. Politicians, especially those who are in government, have come to embrace the media, often using it to transmit their messages to the public as well as a tool for garnering public support for legislation that they need to pass. Certainly, majority of the revenue of mass media comes from the marketing of products, and this has led to many marketers having developed massive influence over these outlets. There has developed the realization that media corporations are not feasible without the support of marketers and that because of this, they have to take in hand the various political and economic prejudices of the latter. This has led to a weakening of the public press and it is possible that this is the reason why there has been a reduction in the number of independent newspapers in circulation. In addition, it can be said that the large subsidies that are received by media corporations from the various bureaucracies in the nation have ensured that the cost of receiving and production news is greatly reduced (Couchman, 1993). These subsidies have also ensured that those sources of news that are independent are completely ignored, thus creating a situation where there is some form of censorship especially on important matters. The self censorship that develops on films, and music, radios or television programs and artistic expression ensure that the information they think is unacceptable to the members of the public and threatens the social economic and political order of the state has been altered. Particular bodies like the government, religious bodies or even private groups are capable of imposing censorship on mass media and this has become of grave concern over the years. The various forms of censorship of media which have developed over time include preventative, licensing, self-censorship, and punitive censorship usually done after the publication of the material. In conclusion, the book is very important and insightful because it addressed diverse matters concerning mass media and the most interesting and important part of this book is the fact that it exposes a lot of information concerning mass media and its influence within the society. The fact that many individuals do not make a big deal out of the monopoly of media ownership is among those issues that one will find to be most disturbing. It is therefore recommended that those individuals who have yet to read this book to do so because it is a most insightful work that shows the relationship between mass media and institutions as well as individuals. References Anderson, J. 1997, "Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media", British medical journal, vol. 315, no. 7123, pp. 1712. Boyd-Barrett, J. 2012, "The Political Economy of Media and Power", Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, vol. 89, no. 3, pp. 544-546. Buehler, A.F. 2011, "Islamophobia: A Projection of the Wests Dark Side", Islam and Civilisational Renewal, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 639-653,765-766. Couchman, S. 1993, "Chomsky goes to Hollywood (in Canada) -- Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media directed by Peter Wintonick and Mark Achbar", Alternatives, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 39. Da Silva, P. P. & ROTHMAN, F.D. 2011, "Press Representation of Social Movements: Brazilian Resistance to the Candonga Hydroelectric Dam", Journal of Latin American Studies, vol. 43, no. 4, pp. 725-754. Herman, E.S. & Chomsky, N. 1988. Manufacturing Consent: The political economy of the mass media. New York, Random House. Korn, A. 2004, "Israeli press and the war against terrorism: The construction of the liquidation policy", Crime, Law and Social Change, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 209-234. Page, B.I. 1996, "The mass media as political actors", PS, Political Science & Politics, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 20. Rossman, G. 2004, "Elites, Masses, and Media Blacklists: The Dixie Chicks Controversy*", Social Forces, vol. 83, no. 1, pp. 61-79. Salmon, C.T. 1989, "Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media", Journalism Quarterly, vol. 66, no. 2, pp. 494-495. Read More