The title of the movie says it all. Manufacturing consent. This biographical look at Noam Chomsky's work on the media carries a message behind it, the message of media control in our lives.
In today's fast paced, information filled world, I agree with Chomsky in regards to the control of the media by an elite few. In this film, the big news companies are controlled by corporate entities and the large news companies indirectly control little news companies. Just look in the Star Tribune, all of the national stories are supplied by the AP, The New York Times, or another large news company. Chomsky's claim that these news sources are controlled by GE and other large corporation has been suggested by numerous people, and not without good reason. Why would a technology focused company like GE want to own NBC? I can see the profit motive but I don't really think it is GE's business to be in.
The information found in:
show the political aspects behind controlling media and also how the media distorts information. Justin Lewis in the video explains the media closely with Chomsky. He claims that government does not listen to the people, not unlike Chomsky who says that it is the government that tells us what to do, not the other way around. I can agree with this, as it always seems to me that politicians are trying to further their goals, not their constitutes. I also agree with Chomsky's idea that media that presents government in a negative light will be given less favorable information by the government. Therefore, I suppose media outlets like the New York Times can stretch information like the massacre in Cambodia.
However, I do not believe that government is out to suppress information and to manufacture consent. Maybe I am too naive, or simply have too much faith in our government but I think that news is separate of the government. They are private companies, and since there is no overarching control over the many different media outlets, if there were discrepancies in information, people would know. It is in media outlets best interest to give factual, true information. That is what drives profit, reliability. In a society where we can see real news happening, for example in the summer when the Iranians posted Twitter updates to share news, it is impossible for the government to control information, and therefore manufacture consent. Yes, there can be certain coverups but not on the scale of what happened in Cambodia, not now in the 21st Century. Chomsky's ideas may have been valid when this sporadic film was made but I believe they no longer hold true.
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