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Product Description
Noam Chomsky’s backpocket classic on wartime propaganda and opinion control begins by asserting two models of democracy—one in which the public actively participates, and one in which the public is manipulated and controlled. According to Chomsky, "propaganda is to democracy as the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state," and the mass media is the primary vehicle for delivering propaganda in the United States. From an examination of how Woodrow Wilson’s Creel Commission "succeeded, within six months, in turning a pacifist population into a hysterical, war-mongering population," to Bush Sr.'s war on Iraq, Chomsky examines how the mass media and public relations industries have been used as propaganda to generate public support for going to war. Chomsky further touches on how the modern public relations industry has been influenced by Walter Lippmann’s theory of "spectator democracy," in which the public is seen as a "bewildered herd" that needs to be directed, not empowered; and how the public relations industry in the United States focuses on "controlling the public mind," and not on informing it. Media Control is an invaluable primer on the secret workings of disinformation in democratic societies.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
93 of 95 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Chomsky's famous books "Necessary Illusions" and "Manufacturing Consent" (co-written with Edward S. Herman) stand as excellent assessments of the propaganda inherent in the current media system. The thing is with those books is that they are quite detailed, and for someone seeking a nice route into thinking about the issue of propaganda, government spin, and how the media are complicit in it, Chomsky's "Media Control: Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda" is a much better choice. It is good because it introduces some basics. For example, how did the modern PR (public relations) industry start? Who gave rise to the way propaganda is used in modern society? So, all this is good entry-level stuff. The book itself is short and could be read in about an hour to two hours (depending on how quick you read). A couple of things to note is that Chomsky likes certain themes to illustrate his points (I guess the ones that he's done most research on in his time), such as what happened in Nicaragua, for instance. You'll find some of that in this book, so if you've read it elsewhere, you may get a little frustrated that he's using the same examples. If you don't know anything about propaganda or Nicaragua, you're looking at the right book. I'm not saying Nicaragua is where the propaganda happens. The propaganda is in OUR culture, but Nicaragua is relevant for other reasons - and its a nice way to learn some history you may not know. So a lot is squeezed into this little book, and moreover it's written in a much simpler style than most of what Chomsky puts out. The one drawback I think the book suffers from is that it isn't referenced as well as all his other work. I think this is because the majority of the material comes from speeches he's made and it's difficult to reference them in retrospect. However, if you go to the more heavy-duty books I mentioned above, you'll find references a-plenty. Overall: good for the beginner, interesting for the intermediate person or Chomsky lover, a bit mild for the expert.
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Chomsky comes up with another classic this one probably his very best, accessible open and less of the references than he normally provides.
The basic premise is that the media creates the agenda, drives it along creating moral panics causing crisis which governments react to so fueling the media to create more moral panics. Anyone familar with Stanley Cohen's seminal work on Moral Panics will know what Chomsky's writing on American media and White House reaction about will come as no surprise.
To others Chomsky says that the media creates panics and crisis to fulfil its own agenda and its own politcal masters to panic the general public into pressing its Governments to fight the enemy or create an enemy. Has anyone forgotten the media fuelled Paedophilla panic back in 2000 ?
So Mr Chomsky's onto something isn't he then?
The basic premise is that the media creates the agenda, drives it along creating moral panics causing crisis which governments react to so fueling the media to create more moral panics. Anyone familar with Stanley Cohen's seminal work on Moral Panics will know what Chomsky's writing on American media and White House reaction about will come as no surprise.
To others Chomsky says that the media creates panics and crisis to fulfil its own agenda and its own politcal masters to panic the general public into pressing its Governments to fight the enemy or create an enemy. Has anyone forgotten the media fuelled Paedophilla panic back in 2000 ?
So Mr Chomsky's onto something isn't he then?
43 of 46 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This was the first Noam Chomsky I'd ever read and apart from Stupid White Men by Micheal Moore it was the first political book I'd read and I think it is an excellent book if your just starting to look at politics. It is very informative and it MAKES SENSE, after reading this book when you look at the world you see it more clearly. The essay about the war on terror at the end is essential reading and is easy to read. 5 thumbs up.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not enough substance
Overview:
This is a short - actually very short - exploration of the idea that democratic systems are essentially a way for a small, specialised elite group of people to... Read more
This is a short - actually very short - exploration of the idea that democratic systems are essentially a way for a small, specialised elite group of people to... Read more
Published 3 months ago by MixMagic
Meh
There's nothing in this you won't get from 'Manufacturing Consent'. If you've already read that, give this one a miss. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Owen Foster
about everything and nothing. Picture on the cover much better.
about everything and nothing. It should be called a brochure rather than a book. Too far general, although i agree with Chomsky, but nothing really enlightening. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Lukasz
Very good. An eye opener.
The book proved (to me at least) that since WW2 governments have used many of the techniques used by the Nazis in their various campaigns. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mr. Dan M. Littlewood
Tel the truth!
This is a short but good review of the growth of propaganda, as a means of placating and manipulating populations. Read more
Published 17 months ago by bedbear
A good primer to introduce Chomsky's radical world view
For 50 years, Noam Chomsky has been the articulate voice of the tiny (by European standards) American socialist left, an icon of educated intellectual dissent separated by a... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Dr. Trang
Good introduction to media control and bias
A short introduction to media bias and how a story can be (and often is) twisted to suit political agendas. So many stories go unreported and so many are reported mixed with lies. Read more
Published 20 months ago by PingPing
Excellent read
This is an excellent, well written, easy to read book. Mr Chomsky confirms what I feel we have all been thinking most of our lives and serves it up in an easy to digest way. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Mr_gurkin
Facinating shocking book revealing much to know...
Here is yet another book by the very important brave Linguistics and philosphy writer and commentator, exposing many ways and times where the world media, usually in the west, have... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Franz Kiffka
important topics, big allegations,sloppy evidence provided..
there can be no doubt of Chomsky's massive intellectual + politcal contributions over the 40 or so years to linguistics, politics + as a consistent voice of of alternative mostly... Read more
Published 23 months ago by simon mack
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