Constructing Public Opinion

How Politicians & the Media Misrepresent the Public

Duration: 32 min ISBN: 1-893521-42-7 Date Produced: 2001 Filmmaker Info Study Guide Transcript Praise for the Film

DVD Pricing College and University: $195.00	Discounted Pricing Available for High Schools, Public Libraries, Individual Educators, Home-use
	or
Digital License Logged in Colleges/Universities may purchase online. All others, please call 1.800.897.0089. more details...	View a Full-Length Preview Low-resolution preview is strictly for purchase consideration. Not for classroom use.

You may also be interested in:

Hijacking Catastrophe

Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land

War Made Easy

Blood and Oil

Constructing Public Opinion
How Politicians & the Media Misrepresent the Public

The media regularly use public opinion polls in their reporting of important news stories. But how exactly do they report them and to what end? In this insightful and accessible interview, Professor Justin Lewis demonstrates the way in which polling data are themselves used by the media to not just reflect what Americans think but instead to construct public opinion itself. Addressing vital issues (e.g., the role the media play in "manufacturing consent" for political elites, what polls really tell us about public opinion, what Americans actually think about politics), Constructing Public Opinion provides a new way to think about the relationship between politics, media and the public.

Exploding the myth that most Americans are moderate or conservative, Constructing Public Opinion demonstrates the way in which political elites help to promote the military industrial complex and how the media sustains belief in an electoral system with a built-in bias against the interests of ordinary people. Well illustrated with graphics and many examples of media coverage, it is the first film of its kind to present a critical analysis of media and public opinion.

Sections: Political Perceptions | Economic Forces | Media Coverage | The Phantom Liberal | Military Omissions | Democratic Ideals

Filmmaker Info

Executive Producer: Sut Jhally
Director, Editor: Susan Ericsson
Production Manager: Kelly Garner
Graphic Artist: Kara Gregson-Goodhind
Cameras: Susan Ericsson and Kelly Garner
Sound Design and Post Production Audio: Thom Monahan
Location Sound: Jeremy Smith
Additional Research: Rachel Frisius-Henderson
Production Assistants: Rachel Frisius-Henderson, Luke Andreson, Abigail Plimpton & Ann Hondrogen

Film Festivals

Awards

Related Links

Press Reviews

Praise for the Film

"This important video shatters conventional thinking about what is matter-of-factly reported as "public opinion" in the corporate-controlled media. Lewis's lucid and compelling argument will open viewers' eyes."
- Michael Morgan | Chair, Communication Dept. | UMass Amherst