The Media as Conduit for Political Propaganda Essay

The media in the United States of America has grown on a massive scale in the form of the Liberal Model. This of course entails market-dominated practices and professionalization in journalism in all adequate media aspects. The First Amendment has provided the American citizens with the freedom of speech ever since it was established. This privilege is very evident in today’s society as news media on all sides of the political spectrum gets mass amounts of coverage throughout the country. The U.S. observes never-ending debates going on in the political atmosphere everyday because of the countless issues occurring in the country including the management of the economy, handling of taxes, and many more. Although it is nearly impossible for the media to please everyone in society as a

In the novel 1984, by George Orwell, the media is given immense power, which it uses to deceive the public into thinking their world and their government is perfect. The government uses their power to completely control every word that the media prints. The media is set on such a high pedestal that the citizens’ hang on to every word they print. Today’s dependency on the media is not far off from Orwell’s prediction. The media is also heavily influenced by sources other than facts and truth. The modern news industry, similar to that of the Orwell’s novel, is heavily influenced by political and private sects, which results in biased news and counterfactual information.

Mass Media forms such as television, radio, and the press are predominantly owned by the bourgeoisie, increasing the likelihood that the media is filled with capitalist ideologies encoded in the texts to be decoded and consumed by the masses. The extract ‘Media as Manipulation? Marxism and Ideology’ from ‘Media, Culture and Society: An Introduction’ by P. Hodkinson (2011) explores several Marxist and Neo-Marxist perspectives on mass media. It also discusses the ways in which the media influences life in a capitalist society. This summary will provide a critical review of the extract and the various perspectives it presents.

In Anthony Dimaggio’s chapter Propaganda, Celebrity Gossip, and the Decline of News the author protests against the idea that the press presents objective and balance within their reporting or event that they exist independently or semi-independent of government and are instead propagandistic. Through reliance on celebrity news, corporate media effectively divert attention from critical political media – manufacturing consent and marginalize dissidents through entertainment media. Mass communication media are successful and influential political institutions functioning as propaganda for government and in doing so manufacture consent through relying on economic forces, assumptions, and self-censorship without overt coercion.

Our daily doses of the latest gossip and news of those around us never seem to have an objective. We are shown various articles from potential presidential candidates to the latest crime on the block, and very few enlightening stories. Each article may seem rather at random and just picked in order of the most intriguing to the less interesting, but it just goes to show how unknowingly we are influenced by the press today. The press has the power to manipulate the way we perceive our surroundings with the legitimate authority to do so. It is only up to our own morals and ethics to really understand who has power over us and to understand the differences between illegitimate and legitimate authority.

How dose bias apply to our media? In the list above I have seen first hand all of the seven violations of media objectivity. For some examples I would like to look at a few articles from the 2008 presidential election. On October 15, 2008, The New York Times and CBS both declared Barack Obama the winner of the 2008 presidential election. They didn’t do this in straight words they

Goldberg, B. (2003). Bias: A CBS insider exposes how the media distort the news. Washington, D.C.: Regnery Publications.

Beginning with the first printed American newspaper in 1690, citizens have desired knowledge not only of their country’s state of affairs, but also that of the rest of the world (Early American Newspapering, 2003). This first venture into media did not end well: the authors ran afoul of the ruling government and it was shut down a stunningly short four days later. It was not until the end of the 18th century that newspapers became fully established as the source of news in the country (Early American Newspapering, 2003). However, it was not until the 1920’s that the idea of objectivity was applied to journalism in response to “growing recognition that journalists were full of bias” (The Lost Meaning of ‘Objectivity’, 2003). Bias is a preconceived particular tendency or inclination, and “media bias” is the exhibition of bias by journalists and producers in the selection of events or information and how they are reported to the public (Media Bias Law and Legal Definition, 2016). Today, the sources for news have expanded from newspaper to include television, radio and now the internet and are used to provide even more information to an even larger base audience. With the influx of multiple sources and avenues to receive news, the need for fair and unbiased reporting is at all-time high. However, perhaps due to flood of information available, many concerned citizens are asking just how biased modern media is and whether it is easy to recognize their bias.

For decades, the Media have been increasingly perceived as bias, untrustworthy, and accused of reporting “fake” news—but there is much debate about the truthfulness of these claims. Now one of the most important journalistic ethics, objectivity really gained popularity in about 1890. Before that time, papers were openly biased, funded mostly by the political parties themselves. Now candidates use media bias for a different advantage. Both Presidents George H. W. Bush and Donald Trump actively used “liberal media bias” to further their campaigns, and some argue that it was key to Trump’s win. Liberals undoubtable garner the most accusations of bias, causing conservatives to flock to Fox news, who use their conservative bias to their benefit.

Newspapers, news channels, magazines, and news websites are all sources of subjective content. Some sources are more liberal, while others are more conservative. Some sources only report topics and tidbits of information which would appeal to the audience to the extent of their pocketbooks, so the whole truth is often excluded. A majority of today's media could be synonymous with the themes of In Cold Blood and The Armies of the Night. It is a common feat nowadays to present each journalistic account through the lens of an opinionated perspective, and to do away with the “straight facts,” which I believe are crucial to the role of a

Currently, people can access the media from almost anywhere. Years ago, the broadcast of information by television and print had dominated the American society for an extended time. Now the Internet has grown exponentially with a variety of sources of information. BUT How has the media’s objectivity been affected by the explosion of information sources? According to Everette Dennis, An American scholar stated that “Objectivity is what sets apart American mass media from the rest of the world and is one of the most important precepts of American journalism” (Beck). However, it is indubitable that this new era of mass media has a significant impact on our society to the global scale and the quality of the information. Some of those sources are

Nowadays, there exist several different forms of media that help keep society informed and updated with the current events. Ronal Deibert and Rafal Rohozinski write about a relatively new but emerging form in “Liberation vs. Control: The Future of Cyberspace”. Whereas, Brent Cunningham addresses a more traditional form in his “Re-thinking Objectivity: Columbia Journalism Review”. In each piece, the authors analyze the process that information is composed and presented to the audience. While Cunningham agrees with Deibert and Rohozinski that the information that is presented to the viewers should go through a filter, they disagree with the level of trust that viewers should place in the information that the government makes accessible to them.

Are politicians or even newscasters trustworthy enough to present newsworthy material? Whether it’s about politics, an investigation, or a criminal trial, a person must critically analyze the information that’s being laid out in front of them before they should make any form of judgment based off what is presented. Criticism of the media is an important aspect of Gone Girl and “The Braindead Megaphone.” In both literary works, media is represented or described as subjective and storytelling pursuant which can end up being dangerous in some situations, and is prevalent in the real worlds postmodern broadcasting.

Many critics reject the notion of objectivity on the grounds that no person can be objective because we have biases and a variety of conflicts that we bring to our jobs. Mitchell Stephens, author of Beyond News: The Future of Journalism offers an argument against objectivity. Stephens states that objectivity is impossible because as much as one may try to disappear from the work, there is a kind of meditation that takes place in journalism no matter what, (117). By selecting who to interview or which side of a complex political dispute to air, journalists are evaluating and judging, and not being “perfectly neutral,” (117). According to Stephens, there are many problems with the effort to balance and see no right or wrong when writing a story. One of these problems is that traditional objective coverage flattens the understanding of politics. Furthermore, an equally balanced piece is too willing to leave it there, making it “lazy and relieves journalists of any responsibility for determining whether he or she might be in error,” (122). Objectivity is also a demanding ideal and the rules are routinely broken by profit-seeking news organizations. Even if it is possible, it is undesirable because it forces writers to use restricted formats and fails to provide readers with analysis and interpretation. Stephens states that “traditional objectivity not only filters what journalists can say but filters the view of the work they present,” (126). Thus, traditional objectivity and

Mass communication outlets have become fundamental parts of modern society in the recent years. Americans rely on these media outlets to stay updated on the worlds issues. However, these outlets know exactly how to shape and influence people inconspicuously. The News often caters to certain groups and the truth is usually dismissed. Instead of being informed about the important issues, the media tends to focus on entertaining topics. Most Americans are not aware that their views are being dictated by the media and the