Video Clips Manufacturing Manufacturing Consent
Discussion: Manufacturing Consent: Propaganda and the Corporate News Media
STEP 1:
Read and take notes from the following links:
“Key Points in Noam Chomsky’s Manufacturing Consent”
http://hope.journ.wwu.edu/tpilgrim/j190/Chomsky.summary.html (Links to an external site.)
“Who Owns the Media?” (spend some time investigating the ins and outs of media consolidation. Take notes and pay attention to the sheer size of these media conglomerates.)
http://www.freepress.net/ownership/chart (Links to an external site.)
STEP 2:
Watch ALL of these video clips:
“Manufacturing Consent 25 Years Later”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC_4OUK74iY (Links to an external site.)
“The Corporation: Unsettling Accounts” (11:29)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZkDikRLQrw (Links to an external site.)
Does Mass Media Create Social Norms of Merely Reflect Them? (1:39)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9hQ-Wy-ad0 (Links to an external site.)
STEP 3:
Visit the following non-corporate independent media websites. Examine what stories and perspectives are highlighted. Take notes. (Links to an external site.)
www.democracynow.org (Links to an external site.)
Finally, visit either www.foxnews.com or www.cnn.com in order to compare how these corporate for-profit news networks operate in light of alternative media outlets like www.democracynow.org. Do they cover the stories in the same way? Write down some specific examples.
STEP 4:
Write a thoughtful, in-depth, post to the discussion forum in light of the questions below. Your post should be a minimum of 300 words (you can always write more). I suggest you write out your posts first in Word, so you can edit it for grammar, spelling, etc.
Today’s media are more consolidated than ever. Most of us get our information from the mainstream news media. For this discussion, I want you to situate Chomsky’s propaganda model in light of your research on media consolidation. First, do a brief overview of MIT Professor Noam Chomsky’s model (in your OWN words), followed by an application to our society’s current situation of media consolidation. Chomsky’s propaganda model is NOT a conspiracy theory approach. On the contrary, it is based on a systematic analysis of the very structure of media, very much like the argument posited by C. Wright Mills’ on the power elite.
Question to consider in framing your post:
Do you find Chomsky and Herman’s argument compelling? Why or why not? Is there a contradiction between a for-profit model of media model and objectivity? Since the major news media outlets are owned by massive corporations, who seek profit and continual growth, might this impact the types of stories they cover or the framing of discussions and debate? What do you think? Given there is much less diversity in media ownership, how might this shape debates? Whose perspective might be overlooked? How can independent media combat this? Your posts should directly engage the resources above. Cite facts, and information to ground your perspective.
You should thoughtfully engage at least two of your peers’ posts. Your goal is to create dialogue. Dialogue is more than simply stating “I agree” or “Good point.” Be specific, and put in an effort to build dialogue and conversation.