Created by two independent filmmakers, Mark Achbar and Peter Wintonick, this film documents the political life of Noam Chomsky, detailing his beliefs and views on how the media communicates information to the masses.
Termed "the most important intellectuals alive" by the New York Times, Chomsky has been credited with developing one of the most documented theories on how the government or the corporate media (which are profit-driven) execute and reinforce the agendas of the interests of the elite and dominant group in the society via the media – the propaganda model.
The American media is a conspiracy of huge corporations and the government, with a group of elites manipulating the media according to their agendas that is mainly profit-driven and peppered with notions to further the political motives of the ruling party.
This is exemplified by the film's case study of how American media covered the Cambodia and East Timor atrocities. The mainstream media's bias towards power elites determined how both atrocities are published in contrasting manner, with extensive attention given to the communist atrocities of the Khmer Rouge regime of Cambodia (in order to justify the US involvement) and ignoring the US supported Indonesian occupation of East Timor. If media is not used as an instrument of propaganda, both atrocities should have been covered equally, and this is a perfect example of the media's unwillingness to criticize the elite power or even assisting as an ally of the elite. The corporate media often distorts or hides facts in order to abide by the principle of maintaining status quo to ensure economic stability, and they are doing a good job thus far. Although not entirely a conspiracy theory, this is the way the media operates and there is a need for the audience to be aware.
Chomsky terms this as Necessary Illusions, which talks about maintaining the status quo so to ensure the masses do not get all the important information that may arouse the curiosity and prompt them to demand involvement in the political process.
Dissenting voices have always existed, but the media marginalizes them via constraints such as concision. In mainstream media, in order for ideas to be broadcast, it needs to be explained briefly and in a concise manner so that it fits into the broadcast programming principles. As a result, dissenting viewpoints are often neglected as it takes time to explain and for arguments to be supported with evidence.
After watching this long documentary, I am reminded of the term "Knowledge is power" and how what we know (or what we think we know) will determine the power we bestow upon ourselves to do something about it.
In this era where the Internet gives us avenues and platforms to broaden our choices of obtaining news and information, it is thus assumed that we are less subjugated to manipulation and propaganda. However, the challenge lies in the mindset that we have instilled upon ourselves. Although the balance of power may have shifted, how much of this power are we utilizing to analyze the information we get and the source that we rely upon to obtain information? Are we training our minds to absorb information from varied sources and to dissect and debate viewpoints such that we make informed decisions on what we choose to believe?
As Chomsky states, "as long as some specialized class is in position of authority, it is going to set policy in the special interest it serves." This will not change regardless of who is in power. The onus is on the individual to be aware that we are subjected to cultural, political, community influence from the day we were born, but that should not be the sole determinant of how we empower ourselves through how we think.
Termed "the most important intellectuals alive" by the New York Times, Chomsky has been credited with developing one of the most documented theories on how the government or the corporate media (which are profit-driven) execute and reinforce the agendas of the interests of the elite and dominant group in the society via the media – the propaganda model.
The American media is a conspiracy of huge corporations and the government, with a group of elites manipulating the media according to their agendas that is mainly profit-driven and peppered with notions to further the political motives of the ruling party.
This is exemplified by the film's case study of how American media covered the Cambodia and East Timor atrocities. The mainstream media's bias towards power elites determined how both atrocities are published in contrasting manner, with extensive attention given to the communist atrocities of the Khmer Rouge regime of Cambodia (in order to justify the US involvement) and ignoring the US supported Indonesian occupation of East Timor. If media is not used as an instrument of propaganda, both atrocities should have been covered equally, and this is a perfect example of the media's unwillingness to criticize the elite power or even assisting as an ally of the elite. The corporate media often distorts or hides facts in order to abide by the principle of maintaining status quo to ensure economic stability, and they are doing a good job thus far. Although not entirely a conspiracy theory, this is the way the media operates and there is a need for the audience to be aware.
Chomsky terms this as Necessary Illusions, which talks about maintaining the status quo so to ensure the masses do not get all the important information that may arouse the curiosity and prompt them to demand involvement in the political process.
Dissenting voices have always existed, but the media marginalizes them via constraints such as concision. In mainstream media, in order for ideas to be broadcast, it needs to be explained briefly and in a concise manner so that it fits into the broadcast programming principles. As a result, dissenting viewpoints are often neglected as it takes time to explain and for arguments to be supported with evidence.
After watching this long documentary, I am reminded of the term "Knowledge is power" and how what we know (or what we think we know) will determine the power we bestow upon ourselves to do something about it.
In this era where the Internet gives us avenues and platforms to broaden our choices of obtaining news and information, it is thus assumed that we are less subjugated to manipulation and propaganda. However, the challenge lies in the mindset that we have instilled upon ourselves. Although the balance of power may have shifted, how much of this power are we utilizing to analyze the information we get and the source that we rely upon to obtain information? Are we training our minds to absorb information from varied sources and to dissect and debate viewpoints such that we make informed decisions on what we choose to believe?
As Chomsky states, "as long as some specialized class is in position of authority, it is going to set policy in the special interest it serves." This will not change regardless of who is in power. The onus is on the individual to be aware that we are subjected to cultural, political, community influence from the day we were born, but that should not be the sole determinant of how we empower ourselves through how we think.