The Herman-Chomsky Propaganda Model

Noam Chomsky, a well-known social critic, and Edward Herman developed a model of how
news gets shaped by a number of 'filters'. The general principle is that power is concentrated
in relatively few un-elected individuals and corporations, and that this leads to selectivity,
filtering and sanitization of news stories such that what reaches the general public is only
that which supports the purpose of those few stakeholders, who typically seek to maximize
personal power and corporate profit.
Ownership and money
It is in the nature of capitalism that companies compete with one another, that some grow
and succeed while others fail and close. This eventually leads to markets being dominated
by a few very large firms. Often, there is a single leader, a challenger and a bunch of also-
rans (for example in the cola market).
Not only does ownership get concentrated, so also does power. When control of competition
is lax, larger firms can use subterfuge and the simple weight of their capital and ability in
order to sabotage or take over competitors.
Any company is there to serve the aims of its owner, which can be altruistic. But, when
companies are publicly listed and shares traded, the nature of share markets means the
owners now only seek increased the shorter-term financial gain of higher share price or
dividends. A day trader on Wall Street cares little for employees or the greater good. This
ripples down to motivation of senior officers, many of who have share options, to focus very
largely on short-term reported gain.
The Herman-Chomsky model concentrates on the media industry where there are relatively
few, large companies that dominate many of the news channels. Even with the advent of the
internet, the control is gradually being regained, for example through ownership of key hubs
and influencing control-oriented legislation.
Funding and advertising
As above, money is both essential for business survival and can be a motivator by itself. This
leads to the question of how things get funded. For news and media, this can be either a
subscription model or through advertising. Many newspapers and magazines use a
combination model, with both a cover price and advertising that helps to reduce the price to
consumers. TV uses varied methods, from the universal subscription model of the UK's BBC
to advertising only to a combination. The internet may also use a variety, although many
sites provide information free and depend on advertising for funds.
When advertising is a key source of funds, all articles, shows and so on will be viewed with
regard to what advertising revenues may be gained from them. This then leads to caution on
the part of editors and media managers not to rock the boat by airing issues that may upset
their major advertisers (who will not be shy in withdrawing their funds if they feel they are
being slighted in any way). Further, advertisers may deliberately support items which offer
biased views that help them and which mislead the viewing public.
On the internet, search engine listing is a critical desirable factor and advertisers will be
significantly influenced by this. The internet also gives far more immediate and accurate data
that allows even more manipulative and finely-tuned advertising that will rapidly shape what
is produced and published.
Sourcing of information and expertise
When news stories appear, where do they come from? With relatively few key sources for
news, this also becomes a filter point. Smaller (and even larger) news organizations often
source their news items from what is available via easy channels rather than sending reporters
out on every street. The pressure to publish at minimum cost also means that very little time
is spent in checking out how true these stories are.
It is very much in the interests of those in power to control the news. Companies and
governments have large marketing and PR departments which create press releases that news
organizations accept with little challenge. Organizations may also offer experts for interview
who of course will support their employers' goals. Even academic research is often funded
by interested parties such that 'scientific knowledge' may be full of bias.
There is a concentrating effect on the internet where, although many can write what they
like, only a few gain significant attention. In the same way that industries end up dominated
by a few major players, information channels also end up with a few powerful writers who
may easily be seduced (or coerced) by powerful other parties.
The covering fire of flak
Sometimes information does leak out that those in power do not like. They still have plenty
of options to respond to such problems, from generous compensation to unhappy customers
whose complaints have gone viral, to corporate lawyers who threaten and perhaps sue those
who oppose them, even to the point of causing financial ruin or imprisonment. Such
situations then may become the stuff of cautionary tales which are used to point out the error
in opposing 'big brother'.
There are many other forms of flak, such as publishing blogs, newsletters, making speeches,
sponsorship, supporting legislation, phone calls and other methods of buying off, wearing
down or punishing those who would oppose or otherwise create a nuisance. Done well,
dissenters do not even bother to make themselves heard when they think of the personal risks
they will be taking.
Anti-communism and fear
At the highest level, demons may be created that both transfix whole populations and which
may be used as an excuse for measures such as increased security, media control and support
 of such as military industries. In America, for many years, communism was the demon. After
the demise of the Soviet Republic, a new demon was found first in Iraq then in Islamist
terrorism. The mood is further amplified by movies and TV series that dramatize fears.
Fear is a powerful driver and causes people to look for someone to save them. They will also
accept things that otherwise they might not like. A general fear propagated throughout the
population makes them more pliable. Communism and terrorism are just two ways to create
fear. Other very realistic fears include loss of one's savings or house, loss of job, and so on.
News headlines often play to such fear triggers.
Propaganda Model
Introduction
The Propaganda model of media control was introduced by Edward. S. Herman and Noam
Chomsky in their book ‘Manufacturing Consent – The Political Economy of the Mass Media’.
This theory states how propaganda works in a mass media. The model tries to understand how
the population is manipulated, and how the social, economic, political attitudes are fashioned
in the minds of people through propaganda. Herman and Chomsky mostly concentrated on
American population and media for their research but this theory is universally applicable.

Theory
In their book Manufacturing Consent, Herman and Chomsky says “A propaganda model
focuses on this inequality of wealth and power and its multilevel effects on mass-media
interests and choices. It traces the routes by which money and power are able to filter out the
news fit to print, marginalize dissent, and allow the government and dominant private interests
to get their messages across to the public”.

According to the theory media operates as a business which sells its products (readers and
subscribers) to other business entities that do their advertisements in media, rather than
performing the function of disseminating news for the public. Here the news is being misshaped
and reformed from its original form. Herman and Chomsky call the factors which misshape
news as filters. The news is being filtered by each of these factors before they reaches its
audience or general public.

The five filters are

Size, Ownership and Profit orientation of mass media

The major media organizations are in the hands of a few elites. The major news channels,
newspapers and other mass media instruments are a part of large corporation and
conglomerations. The information presented to the public will be varying as per the interests
of these organizations. As a part of maximizing profit they sacrifice some news objectives. The
extensive financial interests of these organizations may endanger the quality of news. It is
common around the world that the medias in the hands of government being puppets.

Example: Corporate organization who owns media never publishes the financial details, which
may endanger them.

Funding
The advertisements play the major role of funding in mass media. If advertisements were not
funding mass media, then price of the newspapers may include cost of its production and also
it’s applicable for other mass media like Television, Radio and electronic media. So it is
common that the media filters the news, in favor of their advertisement providers. The ethics
of the mass media is often modified for their existence by media.

Example: A corporate organization may threaten the media saying that they will withdraw
advertising contract if the media publishes any news which damage the reputation of the
organization.

Source
Even the biggest media organizations cannot afford to have reporters and camera persons where
ever the news breaks. There will be some sources for news and the media is supposed to protect
these sources and in the same time there will be some powerful sources which tend to change
the policies of media. For availing a continuous flow of news, the media take suitable actions
in favor of source. The relationships have to be maintained with these sources and it is common
that the news are published keeping the ‘source’ in mind.

Example: The spokesperson of a prime minister or president is considered as a powerful source

of news. For making sure of a proper flow of news the organizations keeps the sources
delighted by fine-tuning the news.

Flaks
Flaks refer to the negative responses to the statement or programme published or broadcasted.
If the flaks are produced in a large scale it is destructive to the media. The media will always
have an eye for the negative responses. It will have a through look on the materials and news
before it publishes or broadcasts some news about a publically loved figure. As a filter it will
try to avoid the news items which may bring sorts of negative responses.

Example: Most of the media never publishes news projecting negative image of religious
leaders without strong evidence. Because it may harm the reputation of media organization
among the public.

Anti-communism
As far as the American corporations and elite groups are concerned the communism was an
ultimate evil because it took their wealth and power from them, it threatened their superior
positions and high class. So the elites who are the owners of media adopted a policy to bring
censorship to the articles and news which talks about the good side of communism. The
American elite even feared the word communal. This is the fifth filter in propaganda model
suggested by Herman and Chomsky.
Example: The news which says about the communal living of workers was never allowed to
publish in America. Because they were afraid of a revolt by the workers if such articles and
news are disseminated.