Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
4th out of 107 books
—
67 voters
Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media
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 societ...more
Paperback, 480 pages
Published
January 15th 2002
by Pantheon
(first published 1988)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
Dec 03, 2007
Walter
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Every citizen of an industrial democracy
This was one of the books that had a great impact on my life. It's an amazing and comprehensive exploration of the origin, development and operation of the modern media. The authors come at this material from the standpoint that the media functions primarily as a powerful tool for social control. The world view presented in the media is essentially that of the ruling classes and the rest of us plebes are locked out of it all. We are passive consumers of the bullshit being fed to us by large corp...more
Brilliant analysis by one of the great scientists of all time. Totally refutes the myth of the "liberal media" and secondly, the myth that this (nonexistent) liberal media is responsible for defeat in the Vietnam War. Clarifies that the war was not a mistake but a crime as defined by the Geneva Conventions (and common decency, I might add). Chomsky has consistently pointed out that in poll after poll the American public is well to the left of the supposed "liberal media." Beware of polls with tr...more
If you can slog through it (not that it's written poorly, it's just that the subjects that are covered have, to most people, the intrinsic appeal of lint analysis) you will be rewarded with a new way to look at the mass media and a new framework with which you can apply your own critical analysis.
Congratulations.
Congratulations.
I first added this to my 'books to read' list after watching the movie, "Good Will Hunting". I was not disappointed. This book is one of the best, if not the the most well written book I've read. I don't mean to say that the information was so life-altering that I will never be the same. But first and simply, that their sentence structure and flow of thought is clear, engaging and pieced together masterfully. They sift through a lot of information, wading through fact and fabrication that they s...more
A superb read on the media and the propaganda machine within our so-called "democratic" or "free" society. Meticulously researched and cited this book gave me mental push-ups for about 6 months while I chugged through it. Accessible in some areas, daunting in others, this book has a tremendous amount to offer. Not for the feint of heart. If you haven't read Chomsky before, I'd recommend listening to his lectures and/or reading some of his shorter works. I felt smarter and stupider after finishin...more
In constructing their incredibly logical propaganda model, Herman and Chomsky illuminate a great deal about the relationship between media, government and corporations. One of the most obvious, yet striking propaganda filters described by Herman and Chomsky is that of sourcing (the third filter). Herman and Chomsky astutely note that daily demands for news have placed a high premium on the reliable, steady flow of “raw material of news.” Strictly in terms of economic practicality, it follows tha...more
I didn't find what I was looking for in this book. But it gets five stars anyway, because Chomsky's sheer, uncompromising critique of the lies which distort (in particular) Americans' worldview is a really important thing to read and understand.
Manufacturing Consent was recommended to me by a friend, when I said that I found Flat Earth News by Nick Davies amazing. Based on our conversation, I was expecting to find a detailed analysis of how and why it is that error and political distortion cree...more
Manufacturing Consent was recommended to me by a friend, when I said that I found Flat Earth News by Nick Davies amazing. Based on our conversation, I was expecting to find a detailed analysis of how and why it is that error and political distortion cree...more
One of Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman's more substantial written contributions, Manufacturing Consent details a framework dubbed the "propaganda model," which can determine or explain many factors of media reporting found deficient, biased, or just plain incompetent. I found this book to be a poignant and effective review of a period in which media was supposedly keeping an "adversarial stance" towards those in power -- while the contrary continued to be the case.
Even for those who do not believ...more
Even for those who do not believ...more
Smart people wrote this book. I don't say that because it was hard to understand at times (and it was), because that stemmed just from being verbose. I say it took smart people because the amount of data gathered and the analysis to tie to together was quite astounding.
The summary of the book is as follows: The US-media is a controlled information relay system (propaganda). The authors set forth a "propaganda model" that they see being employed in our media for decades. It isn't done in a secret...more
The summary of the book is as follows: The US-media is a controlled information relay system (propaganda). The authors set forth a "propaganda model" that they see being employed in our media for decades. It isn't done in a secret...more
The main point of this book is to show how the media echo the opinions of the establishment in society. It is interesting and realistic because the model presented does not require conspiracy on the part of government or the media. It is a result of how the new industry is structured.
A seconday effect of reading this book is a severe questioning of the motives and morality of those in power. There are huge number of examples from the Vietnam war, Cambodia, Laos, and Central America where the US...more
A seconday effect of reading this book is a severe questioning of the motives and morality of those in power. There are huge number of examples from the Vietnam war, Cambodia, Laos, and Central America where the US...more
The thesis of the book is that mass news media are biased in their coverage due to company ownership of the news corporations, advertising for the news media, origin of sources (usually government), and concern over the degree of negative feedback the news media might receive. These filters determine, for example, who qualifies as a 'worthy' or 'unworthy' victim in cases of murder or war and whose elections and governmental processes are viewed as meaningful or meaningless, among other matters....more
This is an extremely enlightening book about the American mass-media propaganda of the 1960s through 1980s. Even though it's old it still applies to contemporary issues, as Iraq has often been compared to Viet Nam (although Viet Nam had a much higher magnitude of significance). But what is most similar is how the government used the media to make a strong case for occupying these territories and proceeding to terrorize their populations for the dogmas of "freedom, justice, equality, etc", when a...more
This book was just okay. The introduction and first chapter were great but there were some chapters like the one on the assassination attempt on the Pope (well more specifically, about how much media attention it deliberately got because the KGB was apparently implicated okay enough I get it Mr. Chomsky....).
If you are new to Chomsky, I recommend Towards a New Cold War, The Fateful Triangle (which provides a very in-depth and critical analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis including a lot o...more
If you are new to Chomsky, I recommend Towards a New Cold War, The Fateful Triangle (which provides a very in-depth and critical analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis including a lot o...more
One of the very rare critiques of mainstream media, presented by Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman, ‘Manufacturing Consent’ – has been a path breaking, definitive and objective model against mainstream media institutions. A book widely which is widely acclaimed and read throughout.
‘Manufacturing Consent’ is an insightful critique of history, politics and media. However, the most unique style drafted by Noam and Herman, which is worth mentioning, is the usage of the ’propaganda model’ – a systematic...more
‘Manufacturing Consent’ is an insightful critique of history, politics and media. However, the most unique style drafted by Noam and Herman, which is worth mentioning, is the usage of the ’propaganda model’ – a systematic...more
An essential book for anyone living in a media society, such as--all of us. It should be standard study material for all secondary schools, as it provides a critical framework needed to grapple with the media utterances in which we are submerged.
It is a wonderfully concise, well-argued, research, supported with a wealth of quotes and numbers. The authors are well able to make their surprising case that media in a free society are perhaps more keen to support the establishment than those in a clo...more
It is a wonderfully concise, well-argued, research, supported with a wealth of quotes and numbers. The authors are well able to make their surprising case that media in a free society are perhaps more keen to support the establishment than those in a clo...more
While I agree with many of the examples that Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky presented in this groundbreaking work, I don't find the propaganda model that they offer to be very convincing.
They are certainly right that those in power control the microphone, but I'm not sure if that is nearly as pernicious as they say. It really shouldn't be that surprising that what the U.S. president says each day is going to be the lead story in U.S. newspapers.
The media are everyone's favorite whipping boy, and...more
They are certainly right that those in power control the microphone, but I'm not sure if that is nearly as pernicious as they say. It really shouldn't be that surprising that what the U.S. president says each day is going to be the lead story in U.S. newspapers.
The media are everyone's favorite whipping boy, and...more
Demonstrating that censorship need not be explicit to be real and effective, the authors of Manufacturing Consent delineate a propaganda model followed by the mainstream news media in western democracies. The authors take great pains to prove through many sources that the mainstream media rarely strays from the acceptable range of opinion in western democracies and considers alternative views. The author shows that this self censorship doesn't result from any kind of conspiracy but from an under...more
This is the first I have ever read of Chomsky's extensive works, and I was very impressed. The institutional approach that he takes to the issues of media self-censorship is appealing and becomes self-evident the more one reads and internalizes. Though it covers somewhat dated events as extended examples, such as coverage of Central America in the 80's and the media's depiction of the Vietnam war, this simply means that it also serves quite well as a historical primer on these goings-on if one i...more
Herman and Chomsky's Manufacturing Consent is by no means an easy read, as it challenges many of the assumptions that we take for granted in the U.S. and presents us with a disturbing portrait of our nation's foreign policies and the people who shape them. The preponderance of evidence backing Herman and Chomsky's analysis of the mainstream media lead to the inescapable conclusion that the "free press" protected by the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution differs dramatically from the corpor...more
There's a decent book here about the economic and political environment in which American media operate, but it's confined to the introductory chapters, which describe this idea, and the conclusion, which reiterates and expands upon it. The meat of the book — comprising its "case studies" — seem mainly to be about the atrocities committed by the U.S. government in Latin America and Indochina. These case studies are described in far greater detail than would have been necessary to tie them back t...more
Si quieren saber cómo funcionan los cárteles de la manipulación mediática, este libro es la pura neta. Le quité una estrellita porque resulta un poco pesado de leer, lo cual es entendible dado el carácter científico del autor, lo cual implica que tiende a ser exaustivo en sus argumentaciones y desarrollo de su análisis racional.
Para los que no sepan quién es el autor, Noam Chomsky es para la lingüística lo que Albert Einstein para la física. Además es uno de los luchadores sociales y políticos m...more
Para los que no sepan quién es el autor, Noam Chomsky es para la lingüística lo que Albert Einstein para la física. Además es uno de los luchadores sociales y políticos m...more
This book is an excruciatingly detailed expose of several serious political incidents perpetrated by various governments around the world, the reaction or lack thereof from the American government, and the consequences that followed. The main idea seems to be an indictment of U.S. foreign policy for its inconsistency, not only from a political point of view, but from how it is reported in the media; rather than a truly "free press", stories are often overreported or regularly ignored in order to...more
Nov 10, 2011
Kevin
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everyone who cares to be an informed citizen
For readers who haven't previously read a media analysis like this book, Manfufacturing Consent will be a pair of glasses after a lifetime of blurry vision. Once exposed, your media consumption will never be the same. Having said that, you can glean much of what this book offers by reading only the first three chapters and the conclusion. Hey, if you're eating it up, then by all means read it cover to cover. However, the authors quickly explain and demonstrate their thesis prior to the thorough...more
Chomsky writes pretty much the same book every year. He's a good analyst of world affairs, but much of his work is more uncritical than it might be (e.g., his discussions of Zionism, sports, and Indigenous rights). His best work by far is Manufacturing Consent (co-written with Edward Herman), though the authors' basic premise is lifted whole cloth from Antonio Gramsci's theory of hegemony. Chomsky and Herman's critique becomes more relevant by the day, which shows that the world is becoming scar...more
Politicians are like hookers. You can't be one unless you can pretend to like people while you're fucking them.
In summary the propaganda model works like this: Bullshit politician with biased information is seen as an expert. Expert gives bullshit to news organization to inform the public. News organization repeats bullshit with cute voices and opinions. We all become stupid, except Chomsky. He writes this book. You read it. Become depressed and kill yourself.
I don't think I can do a serious r...more
In summary the propaganda model works like this: Bullshit politician with biased information is seen as an expert. Expert gives bullshit to news organization to inform the public. News organization repeats bullshit with cute voices and opinions. We all become stupid, except Chomsky. He writes this book. You read it. Become depressed and kill yourself.
I don't think I can do a serious r...more
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”...more
Based on a series of case studies—including the media’s dichotomous treatment of “worthy”...more
This book took me a rather lengthy time to read, but I'm awfully glad I stuck with it. The primary reason it took so long was that some of the material was dated and dry. The majority of the book, however, is extremely relevant over 20 years after this book was published.
I found the chapters on Vietnam/Laos/Cambodia as well as the chapter on third world elections to be the most fascinating. Chomsky piles on the evidence and reveals the intricacies of the US media filters. It is refreshing to act...more
I found the chapters on Vietnam/Laos/Cambodia as well as the chapter on third world elections to be the most fascinating. Chomsky piles on the evidence and reveals the intricacies of the US media filters. It is refreshing to act...more
This is a book not for the faint-hearted. I read it as part of my MA Journalism course, where it was a highly recommended book to read. Putting the heavy reading that it is aside, it is a very informative book, and highlights the hypocrisy of the West in terms of democracy and free speech. It's tough reading for a wannabe journalist, but necessary all the same.
Essentially, the main focus of the book is on politics and how it has affected the mass media - because of the time period it covers, it...more
Essentially, the main focus of the book is on politics and how it has affected the mass media - because of the time period it covers, it...more
It's been many weeks, now, since I finished Manufacturing and started this review. In that time I have been wrestling with how to verbalize the feelings that this book has evoked. Sadly, the best description I can give is that it is easily and by far the most disturbing book I have ever read. Writing and re-writing that sentence, with its rather flaccid sentiment took me three days. My brain seems to have been hit hard with the breadth and depth of my state sanctioned and media promulgated igno...more
Probably the worst kept secret out there: Mass Media serves special interests.
If you are like me, you already suspect as much so why would you want to read a book stating the obvious? Empowered observation, that's why.
Manufacturing Consent establishes a 'propaganda model' and applies it to events that have been label by critics as examples of media overstepping its bounds challenging authority. Considering the book was written in '87, the resonating events included are Indochina (Vietnam, Laos,...more
If you are like me, you already suspect as much so why would you want to read a book stating the obvious? Empowered observation, that's why.
Manufacturing Consent establishes a 'propaganda model' and applies it to events that have been label by critics as examples of media overstepping its bounds challenging authority. Considering the book was written in '87, the resonating events included are Indochina (Vietnam, Laos,...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atheists and Skep...: Conformity and You! :) | 8 | 19 | Jan 25, 2013 08:23am | |
| media analysis | 2 | 38 | Feb 20, 2008 12:28am |
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, political activist, author, and lecturer. He is an Institute Professor and professor emeritus of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Chomsky is credited with the creation of the theory of generative grammar, considered to be one of the most significant contributions to the field of linguistics made in the 20th century. H...more
More about Noam Chomsky...
Chomsky is credited with the creation of the theory of generative grammar, considered to be one of the most significant contributions to the field of linguistics made in the 20th century. H...more
Share This Book
1 trivia question
More quizzes & trivia...
“Education is a system of imposed ignorance.”
—
163 people liked it
“Education is a condition of imposed ignorance!”
—
15 people liked it
More quotes…
May 18, 2012 04:55pm
http://www.powells.com/biblio/2-97803...
May 19, 2012 10:12am