Political Economy and the Propaganda Model of Noam Chomsky

On the narrow isthmus known as Central America, between the world’s two greatest oceans, Nicaragua has been marked by endless years of political turmoil, social tension and economic dismay. The turmoil’s that have shaken the country make it plausible to believe that by some metaphysical law, Nicaraguan politics have accommodated to nature’s tantrums. Like its diverse, rugged and seismically active geology, the country’s politics have been irregular, impulsive and often explosive (Pastor, 15). The Nicaraguan election of February 25, 1990 represents the country’s attempt to break from its turbulent political past and pursue economic and political stability through the establishment of a democracy. The

The Civil War in Nicaragua was one of the defining events from the 1980s, and it also happened to be a defining event in my personal life and that of my family. The argument in question was over the nature of the revolution in Nicaragua, and the political motivations of the Sandinistas. I said that the situation in my home country is not as black-and-white as it has been presented in the media. I believe the situation that gave rise to this argument is rooted in a lack of accurate media coverage. Because I am from a Nicaraguan background, but also have one American parent, I can present a unique perspective that illuminates both sides of the argument to show that neither the Sandinistas nor the Americans had the best interests of Nicaragua at heart.

Whether it is the Spanish governor Pedrarias versus the Indian chieftain Diriangen or the Somoza family versus Sandinista leaders, it is always a fight for freedom or dictatorship. The anti-Americanism of some Nicaraguans also spans back centuries, and it is at least partially justified. From William Walker’s conquest and presidency to America “stealing” the Panama Canal, and the later betrayal of Roosevelt and Nixon, there was plenty of reasons to harbor resentment for Americans. Sandino, the hero who fought the U.S. and inspired the Sandinista revolution, once told an American reporter, “Tell your people that there might be bandits in Nicaragua but that they are not necessarily

The second half of the twentieth century was a time of revolution in Latin America and Nicaragua was a country that was forever changed by that time period. The Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), also known as the Sandinistas, were an insurgency that was started by three college students who sought to overthrow a dictator and establish a Marxist style of government in the small central American country of Nicaragua. They learned from their defeats and learned how to be self-sufficient so that they could fight a long, protracted war. They were successful in their efforts and after eighteen years of conflict they overthrew a dictatorship and established a new government in their country.

In the 1960s and 70s, the Nicaraguan Revolution indicated the rebellion against the Somoza dictatorship. This coup showed a massive shift in the political geography of Nicaragua at the time. The Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN, Frente Sandinista de Liberacion) usurped the established Somozas and soon after engaged in warfare with the Contras in the 1980s in what is now known as the Contra War. This bloody period of Nicaragua’s history saw a shifting in the political structure and geography of the nation, steering Nicaragua into international spotlight.

Since its discovery, Nicaragua has been ravaged by revolution, guerrilla warfare, U.S. government and military occupation, insurrection of the Sandinista’s led by Augusto Cesar Sandino, government

This investigation began with the reading of Chomsky’s 1992 book, Media Control. This provocative book - in particular a short section that referred to the manipulation of people’s perception of the Vietnam War - led me to consider the relations between the media, politics and history. The subsequent development of a related topic as the subject of this investigation, included the selection of a comprehensive range of sources, allowing me to gain insight into various methods used by historians. The research also made me aware of challenges faced by historians, including the ability to select and analyze sources appropriately, in order to reach a justified conclusion.

In Aldous Huxley essay “Propaganda Under a Dictatorship,” Huxley discusses how propaganda is used in media in order

Having been born and raised in Nicaragua has given me a good understanding of how the government works, but especially how Daniel Ortega has done everything possible to stay in power after many years. Personally, I’ve never been a person who loves politics, but in this case I decided to write about the current situation between Nicaragua and the US. Nicaragua has been facing for far too long corruption among government officials, making our government to become a dictatorship instead of a democracy. Our president tends to have a dishonest agenda, which he uses to his own advantage. A lot of people who knows me might think that I already had a stance on this topic before writing about it, for the simple fact of being Nicaraguan, but to your

Noam Chomsky's concept of Manufacturing Consent is imbeded in a film called “manufactured consent” which explores the ideas of Chomsky. The film managed was highly rated and for a while was referred to as the best documentary from Canada. Hoever, many are still of the opinion that this film did not convey Chomky’s message as written in his book. The popular beilef about this film is that it is based on Chomsky’s ideas where he encourage mass actions and intentions to head a social movement. However, this film mainly deals with mass media criticism. According to Briggs (2005) manufactured consent deals with propaganda designed by the media, spreaded by the same media and propagated into the public’s livesas the truth. This propaganda is set by market forces, where few parties come together to control and run the economics and politics of the country. The media have been often caught in between the ideas and beliefs of this conglomerates such as the right choice of candidates in an election. As a result, the media in turn influence the minds of the citizens.

We live in a world of technological innovation where mass media is a major part of us today. People make assumptions on what they hear. They do not try to analyze the situation to see who is right and who is wrong, and mass media is the main source of manipulating one's mind. The concept of propaganda has changed over time. Propagandists create ideas stereotypically through the use of propaganda and use media to promote it and target people's minds to have influence on their views towards a certain group of people. These ideas create negative or positive images in the intended audience's minds. However, it is notable that the information is only the one that is exemplified through media and therefore, can be

Propaganda is performed through print, audio, and visual mass media. It is used for the promotion of the public’s activities in their life such as purchasing goods through market propaganda, and it is also found in politics, foreign affairs, and in many other fields. Most importantly propaganda is depicted in the informercialization of the news, which is connected with subliminal advertising and commercialization of public events and individual promotion such in communication websites. However, there is great debate over propaganda and persuasion that is casted in the media, which I will be elaborating in this essay.

First and foremost, we must understand the concept of propaganda and mass media in contemporary world. According to Noam Chomsky, and Edward S. Herman on “Manufacturing Consent: The political Economy of the Mass Media” propaganda model was defined as

Mass media plays an important role in the society by providing entertainment, information and acting as the government’s overseer. Several scholars have developed philosophies that help people understand how mass media fulfills its roles in the society. For example, Horkheimer and Adorno have constructed theories that explain the functions and impacts of mass media in the society across the globe (Mosco, 2008). The central theme in all mass communication models entails the meaning of media contents, which include the images and texts and their influence on the target audience. The perception of the target audience concerning the text and images in the media are what form the basis of these theories. This essay discusses two hypothetical frameworks: the political economy and cultural studies theories, including their similarities and differences, and how they help in understanding the relationship between the media and society.

The propaganda model was developed by Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky in 1988. The propaganda model was published in the book of Manufacturing Consent, sought to provide an analytical framework that attempts to explain the behavioral and performance of the mass media in the United States (Herman, 2000). Herman and Chomsky (2002) argued that the propaganda model contains five filters which determine what is ‘news’. The first filter is the size, ownership, and profit orientation of the media, which refers to the cooperation between the mainstream media and the large conglomerate. The second filter is advertising, which refers to the mass media using advertising as the central source of income. The third filter is sourcing, which refers to the mass media dependency of information from the government, business and experts. The fourth filter is “flak”, which refers to the negative response that discipline the media. The fifth filter is anti-communism, which refers to the control mechanism of the