Episode #148 … On Media pt. 1 – Manufacturing Consent

The episode begins by framing the news media as an intermediary between the public and reality, suggesting that media serves as a filter through which we perceive the world. The host introduces the concept of media as the plural of medium, emphasizing its role as a substance that conveys impressions to our senses. The episode challenges the traditional view of the news media as a '4th estate' of government, suggesting that it functions more as a service shaping our perceptions than as a group of truth-seeking public servants. The discussion pivots to the work of Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman, particularly their 1988 book 'Manufacturing Consent,' which borrows the term from Walter Lippman's early 20th-century theories on media and democracy. Lippman's view categorized society into three classes: the powerful, the specialized class (elected officials), and the bewildered herd (the masses). The episode explores the idea that those in power manipulate media to control the bewildered herd, keeping them distracted and within certain parameters to maintain order and prevent chaos.

The host describes historical examples of media manipulation, such as Woodrow Wilson's Creole Commission during WWI and the subsequent Red Scare, to illustrate how media has been used to align public opinion with the interests of those in power. The episode then delves into Chomsky's analogy of society's bewildered herd to toddlers, suggesting that just as parents limit a child's freedom for their safety, those in power believe they must limit the public's exposure to certain ideas for the greater good. This leads to a discussion of how media, particularly news outlets, are used to 'manufacture consent' by setting the parameters of acceptable thought and debate.

Chomsky and Herman identify five filters through which media must pass before reaching the public: media ownership, advertising, the media elite, flak, and a common enemy. These filters ensure that news content aligns with the interests of the powerful, constraining journalists to operate within predefined boundaries. The episode concludes by suggesting that understanding media as a medium can lead to a more nuanced view of those we perceive as enemies and can prompt us to question the foundations of our social epistemology.