Manufacturing
Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media
by Edward S. Herman, Noam
Chomsky (Contributor)
Reviews
Amazon.com
An absolutely brilliant analysis of the
ways in which individuals and organizations of the media are influenced
to shape the social agendas of knowledge and, therefore, belief. Contrary
to the popular conception of members of the press as hard-bitten realists
doggedly pursuing unpopular truths, Herman and Chomsky prove conclusively
that the free-market economics model of media leads inevitably to normative
and narrow reporting. Whether or not you've seen the eye-opening movie,
buy this book, and you will be a far more knowledgeable person and much
less prone to having your beliefs manipulated as easily as the press.
Book Description
An intellectual dissection of the modern
media to show how an underlying economics of publishing warps the news.
From the Publisher
"[A] compelling indictment of the news media's
role in covering up errors and deceptions in American foreign policy of
the past quarter century." - Walter LaFeber, The New York Times Book
Review
Customer Comments
johnbeldon@mindspring.com/
John Beldon from Raleigh, North Carolina, June 14, 1999
Should Be Standard Educational Text
This magnificently researched academic study
by Herman and Chomsky is a milestone and should be studied by the editorial
staff of every newspaper in the western "democracies." It's a challenging
read, given our collective assumptions about other people and other cultures
and the "role" of the United States in world affairs. And it's especially
tough to digest in the face of the media's ongoing campaign to propagate
those very assumptions, false though they may be, to their audiences. Manufacturing
Consent is well worth the time and energy.
Michael Sims (opera2000@mailcity.com)
from Tres Pinos, CA, June 8, 1999
Chomsky is Paranoid but Probably Right
Noam Chomsky takes a critical look at the
industrial/media machine with no holds barred. Make no mistake, this is
heavy-duty reading to be taken seriously and studied intensely.
With a mixture of logic, slight humor and
light cynicism, Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman disassemble history from
the 60's through the 80's and place it into an uneasy perspective. A very
convincing, albeit paranoid, indictment of the apparently slanted media
system we have in a "free" society.
I am eager to read in the future what Chomsky
thinks about the Clinton Presidency, specifically the military actions
in Kosovo. And, the big question: how has the Internet changed the media
playing field, as upstart and unabated sources (such as "Slate") play an
increasingly important role.
Unfortunately, reading this work gives one
a jaundiced eye, and a distrust of the ol' "Six-O'Clock News". If the reality
of the media is even half of what Chomsky proclaims, we are in deep, deep
trouble.
Highly recommended!
jenius36@hotmail.com from
U.S.A., March 17, 1999
in-depth and and brutally honest
This book thoroughly dissects the propaganda
structure and extensively covers many examples to back up his claims. For
the patriot, it is almost painful to read at times, sanity of this caliber.
I highly recommend it to anybody who likes to learn and wants a true picture
of society.
Everyone should read this book. Period.
Dr. Michael Forstner (forstner1@llnl.gov)
from Livermore, CA, January 25, 1999
Real life is more scaring than fiction!
This book shows clearly how the American
media monopoly that controls the mass media is forming minds in a country
sworn to liberty. It should be required reading in schools, just to teach
children how important the
A reader from Seattle, WA,
January 18, 1999
Things that should be common sense
It's aggravating, in a way, to come across
a book that says basically what you've thought for a while, but in an unformed
way. "Manufacturing Consent" should be required reading in journalism
and communications school.
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