Episode #148 - On Media Pt. 1 - Manufacturing Consent
Manufacturing Consent
This episode explores how modern media functions not simply as a source of information, but as a powerful intermediary that filters and shapes public perception. Drawing on the work of Noam Chomsky, Edward Herman, and Walter Lippmann, it presents the idea that media operates less like a truth-telling institution and more like a system designed to maintain existing power structures. The discussion centers on the concept of media as a “medium”—an environment that influences how impressions are formed—raising questions about who controls this environment and why. Through historical examples like wartime propaganda and anti-labor strategies, the episode outlines how media has been used to manufacture public consent by limiting the boundaries of acceptable discourse. Chomsky and Herman’s five filters—ownership, advertising, sourcing, flack, and fear—are introduced as the mechanisms that guide what stories are told and how they’re framed. Ultimately, the episode encourages a reevaluation of how beliefs are shaped in a media-saturated world.
Further Reading:
Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky (1988)
Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda by Noam Chomsky (2002)
Public Opinion by Walter Lippmann (1922)
See the full transcript here.
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