Manufacturing Consent Noam Chomsky and the Media

Noam Chomsky’s documentary provides a refined perspective on manufactured consent, which refers to the manipulative roles played by the media in controlling public opinion. Controlling the media involves shaping society's perceptions by filtering information to reach the public. The crafted concepts are assigned more influential power by selectively picking what should be covered or omitted and using experts to craft legitimate false opinions. The government and the elite groups employ this trick to control the beliefs and attention of populations, and the trick is working so well in ensuring that governments dominate the political stage and the elite have complete control of the finances. The use of propaganda by the government to attract or divert the attention and minds of the public is what brings manufactured consent. Many people expect the media to play an imperative role in ensuring that state officials work in favor of the public interest, especially in democratic states like the United States. Mainstream media needs to do more in its role of serving the interests of the public. In the United States, mainstream platforms need to play their role to ensure they safeguard the interests of the citizens. The "propaganda model" by Noam Chomsky exposes mass media as a stream that is primarily mobilizing support for the interest of those dominating the state and oppressing the public. So, manufactured consent's main intention is to criticize mass media behavior, especially in the United States, and how the mainstream Media is structured only to protect the elite group.

A few profit-oriented owners control big media in the United States and even the world; thus, they do not allow free follow of News and any analysis that may be against their interests (Herman and Noam). Hence, realities before being disseminated to the masses should be fabricated to favor the interest of the small group in society and maintain power. Therefore, Chomsky believes that the media operates corruptly when disseminating information to the public, creating problems because the media will never allow people to know the truth about what is happening. It will only mobilize the audience to support the particular interests of the elites in society.

Media manufactures consent in many ways, one of which is by failing to criticize the ruling class. It might appear that the media is at the forefront of condemning those in power, but these criticisms are vibrant in an event where the interests of the elites are divided. These occurrences have been very supportive in presenting the media as a neutral party. The public quickly interprets media as a platform that supports free speech and acts as a watchdog that monitors the deeds of those in power. Noam's model hints at how the media features contents that support the elite with the interest in maintaining the adverts and promotions that work best for their business to facilitate the flow of advertisement revenues. Thus, they will ensure that the information they display on the screen does not go against the big business names (Herman and Noam). Media also relies on large corporations and government organizations to fill their news schedules and columns because they cannot reach every corner of the world. Such a relationship makes the media ineffectively critique the ruling class, thus letting them keep on oppressing the minorities who are the taxpayers.

Such a relationship indirectly punishes the media. For example, they quickly fall into the trap of "flak," where they can be pressured to avoid sensitive topics that can attract the attention of the rulers.

We have seen incidences where the Media favors all states allied to the West. Their News is always slanted depending on the political situation of the countries involved.

An excellent example of manufactured consent can be observed in the video (Invisible Children, 2012), which is about the request of public leaders to arrest Joseph Kony, the Ugandan guerilla group leader of the militia group Lord's Resistance Army. The video is raising questions over the use of child soldiers and thus requesting the United States government to assist the Ugandan government in arresting Joseph. From the information given, the criticism is constrained, making it fit into the propaganda model because the interests of the United States and economic and geopolitical agendas are mentioned in the video. The video presents the outcomes of the military actions well, but the consequences of US involvement in Uganda's politics are not mentioned. Those who crafted the video present what we argue as manufactured consent by identifying Uganda as a state with no close relationship with Westerners, granting assurance that the US will act according to human rights, and deliberately not accounting for the consequences and motives of US involvement in Ugandan politics.

Another illustrative example of how manufactured consent is facilitated through media is illustrated in the Creepy Line documentary by Janson Media (2020). The documentary highlights how platforms like Google and Facebook manipulate information that their users are exposed to. Personal data like personal information, browsing histories, and social interactions possessed by these media giants can be used to study preferences and predict how people perceive things. They can also be used to influence what people see and think, facilitating the manipulation of public opinions.

What is intellectual self-defense? According to Chomsky, in what ways can we foster our intellectual self-defense?

Intellectual self-defense is developing a mind that allows a person to think well and protect themselves from manipulation by media or control. Through manufactured consent, people have been manipulated to accept nonfactual News. The media's overall motive is advertisements, and Little time is allocated to delivering News about political and societal issues affecting society and its many populations.

Chomsky develops an intellectual self-defense model that motivates citizens to create an independent mindset to protect them from control and manipulation by those in power. Many people need to think about what they know because they only access information from the media; thus, people must develop judgment and an evaluative mindset in every media content they receive. Such a way of thinking has affected the formation of the intellectual self-defense system (Chomsky and Edward pg.22). Chomsky is encouraging people first to try and understand the kind of world around them and put into practice what they have learned rather than relying on media platforms which a few people with self-interests control.

Regarding opinions, Chomsky argues that people need to make decisions based on their thoughts, not what the media feeds them. Chomsky believes the press should be at the forefront of giving the correct information. A strict editing process should be developed to eliminate the presentation of distorted information. Most media platforms present to people what they perceive as necessary, but this trend must be stopped. According to (Herman and Noam pg. 201), people should make a personal effort and develop an inquisitive mind that can critically review media information and identify what is appropriate.

Additionally, progressive teachers can play a significant role in ensuring that students, who form the biggest part of society, have the proper knowledge and do not rely on media. Students should be equipped with intellectual self-defense, which will foster equality and justice for all without discrimination. They should learn to see things from their understanding rather than the biased popular view.

In conclusion, Noam Chonskey’s documentary “Manufacturing Consent and Media” is a piece that reminds society of the need to be open-minded and a critical thinker. We need to know that the government and business people control most of the media, and the information presented is only sometimes a true reflection of what exists. The dark parts of the political class, like tax evasion, are never covered in the News. Therefore, manufactured consent is the correct term that Noam Chomsky used to mean controlled media. Therefore, the only way to fight controlled media is through intellectual self-defense. People should rely on thinking using their minds more than using information from the press directly to make decisions. Most information presented by media to viewers is edited, and thus, the authentic text of the reported matter needs to be included.