Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky demolish one of the central tenets of our political culture, the idea of the "liberal media." Instead, utilizing a systematic model based on massive empirical research, they reveal the manner in which the news media are so subordinated to corporate and conservative interests that their function can only be described as that of "elite propaganda."
"If you want to understand the way a system works, you look at its institutional structure. How it is organized, how it is controlled, how it is funded."
-Noam Chomsky
"The Mainstream media really represent elite interests, and what the propaganda model tries to do is stipulate a set of institutional variables, reflecting this elite power, that very powerfully influence the media."
-Edward Herman
Part 1: The Filters of News The propaganda model and agenda setting / The ownership filter / The advertising filter / The sourcing filter / The flak filter
Part 2: Domestic Issues The healthcare debate / The attack on social programs / The coverage of labor and business
Part 3: International Issues Anti-Communisim and Market Celebration / Dictators and Democracy
Professor Justin Lewis of Cardiff University provides background and contextual information for Chomsky and Herman's original research.
Noam Chomsky is Institute Professor of Linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The most quoted living author today, Chomsky's work in linguistics, philosophy and politics places him among the most important intellectuals at the dawn of the 21st century.
Edward Herman is Professor Emeritus at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of many books, including Manufacturing Consent (with Noam Chomsky) and The Global Media (with Robert McChesney).
