Pre-Reading: Herman & Chomsky (The Propaganda Model)

1 Pre-Reading: Herman & Chomsky (The Propaganda Model) Mount Royal University COMM 3500-001: Media, Culture and Communication Theory Richard Erlendson February 6th, 2023 Pre-Reading: Herman & Chomsky (The Propaganda Model) 2 Key Quotation: A key quotation from the reading that resonates with me is, "The model does describe a system in which the media serve the elite, but by complex processes incorporated into the model that involve mechanisms and policies whereby the powerful protect their interests naturally and without overt conspiracy" (Herman, 2000, p. 108). Connection to my life: The quote resonates with me as I think about situations in my community and the wider world where the stories in the media seem to match up with what powerful people want. I've noticed how these subtle biases can affect the way we see things and shape what everyone thinks, all without anyone directly manipulating us. In my daily life, I've seen the media, whether on purpose or not, sharing stories that seem to support what powerful people want. It could be the way they present news, what they choose to report, or what topics they focus on – all these things can make it look like the media is helping out those in charge. Recognizing that has made me more aware of the sneaky ways the media can work, highlighting that even seemingly fair reporting might have hidden biases that support the status quo. The idea of "complex processes incorporated into the model" is something that really stands out to me (Herman, 2000, p. 108). It suggests that these influences are built into our media systems, smoothly working to protect the interests of the powerful and the understanding has made me more careful about what I believe from the media, understanding that even seemingly neutral news might have hidden biases that match what those in power want. It also does remind me that the power of the elite isn't always part of some big secret plan. It can come from the structures and rules in our society. It pushes me to question not just what the media says but also the bigger social and political systems that shape the stories we hear every day. Being aware of this helps me navigate through the 3 complicated world of information the media gives us, making me more careful and thoughtful about what I believe. Significance and connection to the topic: The quotation is significant because it helps us understand a key idea in the propaganda model. It shows us how the media can be influenced by powerful people and their interests. The quote tells us that this is not necessarily a result of a big secret plan, but it happens naturally through complicated processes. The idea of structural biases in the media is crucial for seeing how the media affects our society and our opinions about things like politics. Instead of thinking that the media is trying to trick us on purpose, the quote points out that there are built-in biases in how the media works. Such way of thinking is essential for looking at how the media shapes what we talk about and think, especially in politics. Recognizing that the media often supports the interests of the powerful because of the way it's set up encourages us to dig deeper. It makes us question not just what the media says, but also how the whole system works. Such ideas are extremely important when we talk about the media's influence and how it ties into politics. It challenges scholars and regular folks like us to really understand how the media operates, going beyond just what we see on the surface. The quote also opens up a big conversation about how the media affects democracy. Knowing that the media naturally tends to favor powerful people makes us look at what we hear or read more critically. It pushes us to be smart about media and be active in our democracy by questioning the stories we're told. It helps us see how the media's influence works, pointing out the built-in biases that make media narratives often align with the interests of powerful people. Understanding this helps us look at how the media operates in society, especially in terms of politics and democracy, and encourages us to be more careful and engaged citizens. 4 Challenging idea: A concept that I personally find challenging is the idea of how media independence and economic pressures are connected. The thought makes me think deeply about how news organizations, which are crucial for a well-informed society, can stay true to honest reporting when they are driven by making money, especially through advertising. Herman (2000) talks about how newsrooms often focus on making money. The need to get ads and stay profitable can sometimes clash with the idea of reporting news without any bias and doing in-depth investigations. The tension between media independence and economic pressures isn't just a problem inside newsrooms; it goes further. It involves finding a balance between providing information that's good for the public and meeting the interests of big companies that might influence editorial decisions. The challenge makes us question how much media organizations can resist the pressure to make money and stay true to giving us unbiased, diverse, and informative news. To really understand the issue, I believe we need to look at real examples of where money might affect how news is reported. At the same time, it is a must to understand the economic side of how media organizations work to see the challenges they face in making decisions. The idea makes it clear that we need to have serious conversations about media ethics, transparency, and what happens in our society when journalism is driven by profit. It pushes us to look closely at how economic interests might unintentionally shape the stories we hear. It also calls for thinking about new ways for media to do business, where giving the public unbiased information is more important than making money. References 5 Herman, E. S. (2000). The Propaganda Model: A retrospective, Journalism Studies, 1(1), 101– 112. doi: 10.1080/146167000361195.