Manufacturing Consent

The Political Economy of the Mass Media

By: Edward S. Herman, Noam Chomsky

Narrated by: John Pruden

In this pathbreaking work, now with a new introduction, 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 US 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.

©2002 Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"[A] compelling indictment of the news media's role in covering up errors and deceptions in American foreign policy of the past quarter century." ( New York Times)

Important “Classic” Text For Media Literacy

It doesn’t really matter if you consider yourself leftist, a liberal centrist, or some kind of rightist: the theory argued in this book is an important part of developing a serious, skeptical media analysis (as opposed to an unserious “skepticism” of mere contrarianism).

Yes, it’s authors are left wing, but at no point in the text are they trying to sell you on their politics, change your politics, etc, nor are they even arguing from a necessarily left perspective. They’re merely pointing out the biases of the modern mass media, why it has those biases, and how it’s function, even in non “totalitarian” states, serves to propagandize the general public with the “truths” of the state’s point of view, per its interests.

Is it the only text necessary to develop a very solid understanding of mass media? No, but I’d absolutely call it an essential building block for that task, if it’s of any value to you. If gaining such a media literacy is not of interest or value to you, read it anyway, and hopefully you’ll change your mind on the importance of such an understanding.

No greater tool for the modern person.

There's no greater tool for understanding How we came to be in this post truth era. decades of lies by the mainstream media has brought us to where we are. But it's our responsibility to get ourselves out. Start with this book.

Never has there been a more important time to read this book

Where to start with this book. It was written in the 80s but it is as prevalent today. This book infuriated me, but in a productive way. We should all be made aware of how our media is used in conjunction with the federal government to excuse atrocities.

Truth in media for once.

Crucial info in ttying to understand dominator culture and it's use of mass media to shape & conttol public opinion.

It's hopeless

A convincing case that most of America gets a blue pill as part of childhood immunization.