DoubleBubble, Herman & Chomsky

The Propaganda Model is a theory developed by Herman and Chomsky that declares systemic biases in mass media and begins to explain the influence economic causes have on the mass media. There are “filters” which examine the main constituents of this model.

The first is Size, Ownership, & Profit Orientation for the mass media. Information given to the public, according to Herman and Chomsky, will be biased because the mainstream media outlets are either conglomerates or large corporations. Since these organizations go farther than the normal media fields they are changing the information given to the public because of their desire for financial increase. Owners of media will face the greatest bias and censorship because news items hurt the corporate financial area.

The second is The Advertising License to do Business. Funding for newspapers is a huge issue because production for the newspapers is extremely costly. In order to fund and provide for the newspapers, they need advertisers that can provide funds for the paper. Advertisers then place their advertisements in the newspaper and the newspaper is able to cover the cost of production. Without advertisements, the newspaper would have to increase their prices. Newspapers are then placed into a competition throughout media because they want as many advertisers as possible. Newspapers who have more advertisers are at a higher advantage than those who have fewer advertisers.

The third filter is Sourcing Mass-Media News. The media has slowly become dependent on running articles that can hurt the corporations by providing resources that the media relies on. A rise, because of this relationship, occurs in the "moral division of labor", where the facts are given by the officials and them they are simply given off to the reporters. After it is given off to the reporters journalists then attempt to develop an article that is uncritical and also allows for it to accept corporate values.

The fourth is Flak and the Enforcers. The fourth filter is 'flak', described by Herman and Chomsky as 'negative responses to a media statement or [TV or radio] program. Responses may be taken in the form of letters, telegrams, calls, petitions and many other modes of complaint or threat.

The fifth and final news filter that Herman and Chomsky identified was 'anti-communism'. In our western society is more well known as the “eveil person”.

I think it is very interesting that Herman & Chomsky take the ideas of the mass media and develop a propaganda model to represent and explain them. Herman and Chomsky provide us with a clear and understandable way to understand the issues within mass media.