The concept of ‘Manufacturing Consent’ originates from the work of Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky, in particular their book called “Manfacturing Consent: The Politcal Economy of the Mass Media” published in 1988. Although their analysis in their work primarily focused majority on traditional media, the ideas can be extended to the digital world/ media landscape.
Manufacturing Consent is a referral to the subtle ways in which different types of media shapes the public opinion by controlling what is being presented, whether this be intentionally or unintentionally. The dynamics of manufacturing consent has evolved deeply in the digital age, where information is disseminated rapidly through the various types of platforms available online.
The Propoganda Model was elaborated by both the theorists, Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky. This model drew on critical ideas of the political economy to then further evaluate the various types of media in capitalist societies, namely USA. The Propoganda Model argues that mainstream media, US and Western, output is coerced by many corporate business interests in which relies heavily on advertising as a source of profit. Moreover, “media is constrained by over-reliance upon official sources and Cold War ideological imperatives; News and media output presents a distorted view of the world – one that is propagandistic, as its key aim is to persuade audiences about ideas and agendas that suit U.S. and Western political economic elites.”
Furthermore, it also argues that “Western media do not overtly disseminate propaganda – this is more the case of state-controlled or authoritarian governments/ regimes.
This model explains how the economical, social and political aspect are manufactured to control and manipulate the consumers heavily. Five main filters are consisted within this model in which assess how media content is produced, these being: Ownership of the media, Advertising and media funding, Sourcing in the news and general content, Flak and Anti-communism.
References:
Chomsky & Herman (1989), Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media, Available at :https://edisciplinas.usp.br/pluginfile.php/5537300/mod_resource/content/1/Noam%20Chomsky_%20Edward%20S.%20Herman%20-%20Manufacturing%20Consent_%20The%20Political%20Economy%20of%20the%20Mass%20Media-Bodley%20Head%20%282008%29.pdf Accessed on:20th November
Tomes. S (May 30), Review of “Manufacturing Consent: The Politcal Economy of the Mass Media”, Available at: https://medium.com/@thebookwormsquill/a-review-of-manufacturing-consent-the-political-economy-of-the-mass-media-fc9f2e3adeb6, Accessed on: 20th November
Great blog!I really did enjoy reading your blog post, your model gave me a good insight into the propaganda model and the filters. What is the political economy and what’s its approach to media as a whole?