Noam Chomsky - Manufacturing Consent

Summary

In this insightful transcript, Noam Chomsky discusses the role of mass media in shaping public opinion, emphasizing that it primarily serves the interests of the elite. He outlines a 'propaganda model' where media, as corporate entities, target two groups: the politically active and the general populace, aiming to indoctrinate and maintain compliance, respectively. Chomsky also highlights the influence of ownership, advertising, and the inherent bias of media institutions, which filter information to align with the interests of the powerful.

Takeaways

• 📰 The primary function of mass media in the US is to mobilize public support for the interests of the government and private sector elites.
• 🔍 The decision-makers in society are typically a concentrated network of major corporations, conglomerates, and investment firms that also own the media and have a significant influence on the government.
• 🤝 The media's role is to ensure the interests of these dominant groups are served, imposing constraints on the political and ideological systems.
• 🎯 The concept of 'manufacturing consent' involves targeting two groups: the political class, who are relatively educated and involved in decision-making, and the general population, who are expected to follow orders without critical thought.
• 🗣️ The media uses various techniques such as topic selection, framing of issues, and filtering of information to shape public perception and maintain the status quo.
• 📈 The elite media, including major newspapers and television channels, set the agenda for other media outlets, influencing the narrative on national and international affairs.
• 🏛️ The New York Times, as a leading newspaper, plays a significant role in shaping the perception of the world among the politically active and educated classes.
• 📚 The historical record, as preserved by media archives like The Times, can be shaped to align with the interests of those in power.
• 🚫 The propaganda model suggests that both liberal and conservative media fall within the same framework, designed to contain thought within acceptable parameters.
• 💰 Media ownership by large corporations and conglomerates inherently influences the content produced, as the media's 'product' is the audience, sold to advertisers.
• 🔑 The media's focus on serving the interests of sellers, buyers, and the product itself leads to a natural exclusion or marginalization of dissenting voices and alternative perspectives.

Q & A

What is the primary function of the mass media in the US according to the transcript?

The primary function of the mass media in the US is to mobilize public support for the special interests that dominate the government and the private sector.

Who are the entities that make the major decisions in society according to the speaker?

The major decisions are in the hands of a relatively concentrated network of major corporations, conglomerates, and investment firms.

What role do the corporations and conglomerates play in the government and media?

They staff major executive positions in the government, own the media, and are in a position to make decisions that shape the society's functioning.

What is the concept of 'manufacturing consent' as discussed in the transcript?

'Manufacturing consent' refers to the process by which the media shapes public opinion to align with the interests of the dominant elite groups in society.

Who are the two main targets for propaganda as outlined in the transcript?

The two main targets are the political class, which is a relatively educated and involved segment of the population, and the general population, which is expected to follow orders and not think critically.

What is the role of the political class in the context of propaganda?

The political class's consent is crucial as they are supposed to participate in social life and play a role in decision-making processes.

What is the 'propaganda model' and how does it relate to the national media?

The 'propaganda model' is an institutional analysis of the major media, focusing on how national media, such as The New York Times and major television channels, set the general agenda and framework for other media outlets.

Why is The New York Times considered important in shaping perception?

The New York Times is important because it shapes the perception of the current world among the politically active and educated classes and plays a special role in creating history through its archives.

How does the ownership of media outlets influence the content they produce?

Media outlets, being large corporations themselves or part of bigger conglomerates, produce content that serves the interests of the dominant elite groups, reflecting their perspectives and needs.

What is the significance of the media's relationship with advertisers?

The media's relationship with advertisers is significant because they sell their audience to advertisers, aiming to attract a more elite and affluent audience to raise advertising rates.

How does the 'propaganda model' account for both liberal and conservative media?

According to the 'propaganda model', both liberal and conservative wings of the media fall within the same framework of assumptions, serving to bound thought and maintain the status quo.

What are the 'filters' mentioned in the transcript, and how do they influence media content?

The 'filters' refer to factors such as ownership, funding, sourcing, flak, and anti-communism that shape media content to align with the interests of the dominant groups and exclude dissenting voices.

Outlines

00:00

📰 Media's Role in Manufacturing Consent

This paragraph discusses the function of mass media in the US, emphasizing its role in securing public support for the interests of the elite. The speaker, Noam Chomsky, suggests that the media is controlled by a concentrated network of corporations and conglomerates that also dominate the government and the economy. These entities use their media ownership to shape public opinion and manufacture consent, particularly targeting the politically active and educated class, whose consent is crucial for societal functioning. Chomsky also highlights the secondary target group, the majority of the population, who are expected to follow orders without critical thought. The paragraph introduces the concept of a 'propaganda model' that filters information to serve the interests of the dominant groups.

05:02

🎯 The Propaganda Model and Media Control

The second paragraph delves deeper into the 'propaganda model' and how it operates within the media landscape. Chomsky explains that the model is an institutional analysis focusing on national media, which set the agenda for others. He identifies the elite media, such as The New York Times and major television channels, as the agenda-setters that shape the perception of the world for the politically active and educated classes. The speaker argues that these media institutions are not just reporting history but are actively creating it by selecting what to report and how to frame issues. Chomsky also addresses the misconception of liberal or conservative bias, stating that both fall within the same framework and that a well-functioning system should appear liberal to effectively bound thought. The paragraph concludes by discussing the ownership of media corporations and their integration with larger conglomerates, suggesting that the media's function is to serve the interests of these entities.

Keywords

💡Manufacturing Consent

The term 'Manufacturing Consent' refers to the process by which the media influences public opinion to align with the interests of the powerful. In the script, it is the primary function of the mass media in the US to mobilize public support for the special interests that dominate the government and the private sector. The concept is central to understanding the video's theme of media manipulation and its role in shaping societal perceptions.

💡Special Interests

Special interests are specific groups or individuals who hold significant power and influence within a society, often to the extent that they can sway decisions and policies to benefit themselves. In the context of the video, these interests are the major corporations, conglomerates, and investment firms that determine the functioning of society and have a significant role in staffing government positions.

💡Propaganda Model

The 'Propaganda Model' is a theoretical framework proposed by Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman to explain how media content is shaped by the interests of powerful entities. The model suggests that media serves the interests of the dominant elite groups in society, as discussed in the script, by setting the agenda, framing issues, and filtering information.

💡Political Class

The 'Political Class' in the script refers to a segment of the population, possibly around 20%, that is relatively educated and plays a role in decision-making processes. Their consent is crucial for the functioning of the system, as they are expected to participate in social, economic, and political life, and are a target for propaganda to ensure their alignment with the interests of the elite.

💡Elite Media

The term 'Elite Media' denotes the major media outlets that set the general agenda for other media to follow. In the script, examples such as The New York Times and The Washington Post are given as elite media that shape the perception of the world for the politically active and educated classes.

💡Agenda Setting

Agenda setting is the media's ability to influence the topics and issues that the public considers important. The script explains how elite media, through their selection of topics and framing of issues, determine the general framework that local media adapts to.

💡Framing

Framing in the context of the script refers to the way media presents issues to shape public perception. It is a technique used by the media to control the narrative and guide the audience's understanding of events and issues.

💡Filters

Filters, as discussed in the script, are the mechanisms through which media content is shaped to serve the interests of the powerful. Ownership, funding, advertising, and the background of the media professionals are examples of filters that influence the media's output.

💡Ownership

Ownership in the script refers to the control of media institutions by large corporations and conglomerates. This ownership influences the media's content and perspective, as the media's primary product is sold to advertisers, not the audience.

💡Dissenting Voices

Dissenting voices are alternative or opposing viewpoints that challenge the mainstream narrative or the interests of the powerful. The script suggests that media institutions tend to exclude or marginalize these voices because they are seen as dysfunctional to the institution's purpose of serving the interests of the dominant groups.

💡Liberal Bias

The term 'Liberal Bias' in the script is used to describe the perceived tendency of the media to lean towards liberal viewpoints. However, it is argued that even if the media appears to have a liberal bias, it serves to bound thought and maintain the status quo, ensuring that the presuppositions accepted by the liberal media are not challenged.

Highlights

The primary function of mass media is to mobilize public support for the interests that dominate the government and private sector.

Decision-making power in society is concentrated in the hands of major corporations, conglomerates, and investment firms.

These entities also control the media and have a significant influence on the political and ideological systems.

There are two targets for propaganda: the political class and the general population.

The political class, about 20% of the population, is crucial for the propagation of consent.

The remaining 80% of the population is expected to follow orders without critical thought.

The elite media, such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, set the general agenda for other media.

The New York Times plays a significant role in shaping the perception of the world for the politically active and educated classes.

The media's selection of topics, distribution of concerns, and framing of issues serve the interests of the dominant elite groups.

The media's portrayal of history is shaped to align with the interests of those who own and control it.

The propaganda model suggests that both liberal and conservative media fall within the same framework of assumptions.

A well-functioning media system should have a liberal bias to effectively bound thought within acceptable limits.

The media's ownership by large corporations influences the type of content produced and the perspectives presented.

Media institutions are selling privileged audiences to advertisers, which shapes the content and perspective of the media.

Dissenting voices or alternative perspectives are often excluded or marginalized by media institutions.

The media's role is to reinforce the status quo and the interests of the dominant groups in society.

The media's agenda-setting power is a tool to control public perception and maintain the influence of the elite.

Transcripts

You write in Manufacturing Consent

that is the primary function

of the mass media in the US

to mobilize public support for the special interests

that dominate the government

and the private sector

what are those interests?

Well, if you want to understand the way any

society works, ours or any other

the first place to look is

who's in a position to make the decissions

that determine the way the society functions?

societies differ but in ours

the major decisions over what happens in this society

the decisions over investment, and production

and distribution and so on

are in the hands of a relatively concentrated network

of major corporations

and conglomerates and investment firms

and so on

they are also the ones who staff

the major executive positions

in the government

and they are the ones who

own the media

and they are the ones who have to be in a possition

to make the decisions

they have an overwhelming with donor role

in the way life happens, you know

what's done in the society

within the economic system by law and in principle

they dominate

their control of the resources in the need to satisfy

their interests

imposes very sharp constrains on

the political system and the ideological system

When you talk about manufacturing of consent

Whose consent is being manufactured?

We can start with, there are two different groups

we can get into more detail, but at the first level

of approximation there's two targets for propaganda

One is what's sometimes called the political class

There is, maybe, 20% of the population

which is relatively educated

more or less articulated

They play some kind of role in decision making

they're supposed to sort of participate in social life

either as managers or cultural managers

like, say, teachers, writers, and so on

they're supposed to vote, they're supposed to play some role

in the way economic and political and cultural life goes on

now their consent is crucial. One group that has to be deeply indoctrinated.

Then there's, maybe, 80% of the population whose main function is to

follow orders and not to think, you know, and not to pay attention, anything...

and the other ones are usually pay the cost

all right

professor Chomsky, Noam. You've outlined a model, with filters, and propaganda is central

that's way too public you'd briefly out on those

it's basically an institutional analysis of the major media

what we call a propaganda model we're talking primarily about the national

media, those media that sort of set a general agenda that others more or less

adhere to, to the extent that they even pay much attention to national or

international affairs

now the elite media are the sort of the agenda-setting media, that means the

New York Times, The Washington Post the major television channels and so on

They set the general framework local media more or less adapt to their structure

World News!

And they do this in all sorts of ways

by selection of topics,

by distribution of concerns,

by emphasis,

framing of issues,

by filtering of information

by bounding of debate within certain limits

they determine, they select, they shape,

they control, they restrict, in order to serve the interests of the dominant

elite groups in society.

there is an unusual a lot of attention focus today

on the five nations of Central America

This is Democracy's Diary. Here for our instruction our triumphs and disasters

the pattern of life's changing fabric. Here is great journalism a revelation of

the past,

a guide to the present, and a clue to the future.

New York Times is certainly the most important newspaper in the United States

and one could argue the most important newspaper in the world. The New York Times

plays an enormous role in shaping the perception of the current world on

the part of the politically active educated classes. Also the New York Times

has a special role, and i believe its editors probably feel that they bear a

heavy burden in the sense that the New York Times creates History.

What happened years ago may have a bearing on what happens tomorrow.

Millions of clippings are preserved in The Times library, all indexed for instant use.

A priceless archive of events and the men who made them.

That is: History is what appears in The New York Times archives,

The place where people will go to

find out what happened is New York Times,

therefore it's extremely important that History is going to be shaped in an

appropriate way, that certain things appear, certain things not appear,

certain questions be asked, other questions be ignored, and that issues be framed in a particular fashion.

Now in whose interests is that History being so shaped?

Well, I think that's not very difficult to answer.

Now, to eliminate confusion,

all of this has nothing to do with liberal or conservative bias.

According to the propaganda model both liberal and conservative wings of the

media, whatever those terms are supposed to mean,

fall within the same framework of assumptions.

In fact, if the system functions well it ought to have a liberal bias, or at least

appear to, because if it appears to have a liberal bias, that will serve

to bound thought even more effectively. In other words, if the press is indeed

adversarial, and liberal, and all these bad things,

then how can I go beyond there? they're already so extreme in their opposition to power

that to go beyond there will be a takeoff from a planet

so therefore it must be that the presuppositions that are accepted in the

liberal media are sacrosanct, can't go beyond them. And a well functioning

system would in fact have a bias of that kind: the media will then serve to say,

in effect, "thus far and no further".

And we ask what would you expect of those media?

just relatively uncontroversial guided free market assumptions, and when

you look at them you found a number of major factors entering into determining

what their products are. These are what we call the filters, so one of them,

for example, is ownership.

Who owns them?

The major agenda-setting media, after all, what are they?

As institutions in the society, what are they?

Well, in the first place they are major corporations, in fact huge corporations.

Furthermore, they are integrated with, and sometimes owned, by even larger

corporations conglomerates. So, for example, by Westinghouse and GE, and so on

What I wanted to know was how specifically the elites control the media?

What I mean is... I guess...

How do the elites control General Motors?

Why isn't that a question?

I mean, General Motors is an institution of the

elites, they don't have to control that they own it.

so what we have in first place is major corporations which are parts of even

bigger conglomerates. Now, like any other corporation they have a product

which they sell to a market. The market is advertisers, that is, other businesses.

What keeps the media functioning is not the audience, they make money from their

advertisers, and remember we're talking about the elite media, so they're trying

to sell a good product, a product which raises advertising rates, and ask your

friends in the advertising industry that means that they want to adjust their

audience to the more elite and affluent audience, that raises advertising rates.

So what you have is institutions, corporations, big corporations that are

selling relatively privileged audiences to other businesses.

Well, what point of view would you expect to come out of this. Without any further

assumptions

what you predict is that what comes out is a picture of the world,

a perception of the world,

that satisfies the needs, and the interests, and the perceptions of

the sellers, the buyers, and the product.

Now, there are many other factors that press in the same direction.

If people try to enter in the system, who don't have that point of view, they're likely to be

excluded somewhere along the way.

After all, no institution is going to happily design a mechanism to self-destruct.

It's not the way institutions function. So they all work to exclude, or marginalize,

or eliminate dissenting voices or alternative perspectives and so on

because they're dysfunctional. They're dysfunction of the institution itself.