Murphy, Herman and Chomsky

(Pre-class, 3/31)
"A Propaganda Model"
Herman and Chomsky immediately jump into what a propaganda model is: "A propaganda model focuses on this inequality of wealth and power and its multilevel effects on mass-media interests and choices" (257). The authors also write about mass media's use of communication to tell individuals what their behaviors should be. This dictation of values and beliefs changes and molds society to fit the prototype that the elite approve and encourage for their benefit. They describe this as "the media serve the ends of a dominant elite".
There are five filters that are used as standards before information/stories are published and broadcast. These five filters support the propaganda model and "define what is newsworthy". It is ironic that a select few can pick and choose what they want to be shown to the mass culture, when in reality there may be things left out that should be included, or things included that should more than likely be left out. Two examples of this jump to mind immediately. In CMC 100 we learned about Fox producer's hiding stories about bovine in milk products. They hid the truth and pulled the story from the air to protect the company. They left the public at health risk to save a penny. Another example that applies is how the major media outlets spent 130minutes covering the Martha Stewart scandal; the same media giants spent a mere 24minutes covering the genocide (declared by Colon Powell) occuring inDarfur.
I think a big point Herman and Chomsky discuss is that not only do the filters keep alot of stories from making into the news, but the filters also keep certain information from becoming "big news". They go onto say on page 282, "...we would anticipate outcries that the worthy victims are being sorely neglected, that the unworthy are treated with excessive and uncritical generosity...". In short, when watching the news, take everything with a grain of salt, and do independent research, taking information from a variety of sources.