Verified Document

Thought Control And Media Term Paper

¶ … Control and the Media The media is an incredibly powerful force which has the ability to manipulate the minds and hearts of the American people. This type of "mind control" which is employed by news organizations in the United States is nothing less than propaganda.

Noam Chomsky writes that, "propaganda is to a democracy what violence is to a dictatorship." Indeed, nowhere is this more clear than in recent debates over the impending war with Iraq. On one side of the fence, the conservative Right argues that war is essential and that Iraq is in league with Al Qaeda. They argue that Saddam Hussein is developing weapons of mass destruction which he would like to unleash on the free world. On the other side of the fence, the liberal Left argues that such a preemptive war is "unjust," and that there is no definitive proof that Hussein was ever in league with Osama Bin Laden or that he has developed weapons of mass destruction. They worry that a unilateral strike on Iraq sets a disturbing precedent, that it presents the United States as unreasonable and willing to employ force to protect any interest it so desires.

Media's primary role is to mobilize public support for the special interests that dominate the government and private sector of our Nation," Chomsky writes. "History is what appears in the New York Times archives."

Perhaps Chomsky is right. It is well documented that George W. Bush came from a background in oil. It is also well-known that Iraq is a major producer of oil. One could easily make the case that the primary reason that this conflict is developing is due to the interests of the oil companies in the United States and their influence over the current president.

The media is heavily influenced by both the right and the left. Headlines are an excellent resource wherein the interests of a given news organization...

The content of the article which follows the headline will crystallize the organization's opinions and loyalties even more.
Recently, USA Today and the Washington Post, both regarded as mainstream press, documented the discovery of a weapon of mass destruction in Iraq. This particular weapon was a flying drone which some believe is capable of delivering chemical or biological weapons to enemy targets. It turns out that this particular item was a large scale model airplane and it's effectiveness as a weapon is under scrutiny.

USA Today's headline read, "Powell decries new Iraq weapon discovery." The word "decries" is intended to make it sound as if this is a major development in the case against Iraq for war. For Colin Powell and George Bush to make their case to the world, they must have evidence of wrongdoing in Iraq.

As new evidence to condemn Saddam Hussein as a deceptive cheat, Secretary of State Colin Powell and his spokesman cited the development of drone airplanes and cluster bombs, both capable of spreading chemicals. Powell said the world should be concerned. (USA Today, 3/10/03)

The preceding paragraph is not written objectively. The paragraph starts by calling Hussein a "deceptive cheat." It attempts to remain objective by following this statement with information about the Secretary of State. However, it does not say that this is what Powell believes or what arms inspectors believe, but instead through the structure of the paragraph identifies this as something the newspaper believes.

The Washington Post has a similar headline. "Iraqi Officials Proudly Exhibit a Disputed, Dinged-Up Drone," the headline reads. The use of the word "proudly" indicates that there is some level of disbelief concerning the drone by the author of the article.

The article in the Post is…

Sources used in this document:
Bibliography

Corn, David. "Bush's Irrelevant Case for War." The Nation. 7 March 2003. http://thenation.com/capitolgames/index.mhtml?bid=3&pid=468

Price, Niko. "Iraqis Reject Deadly Drone Claim by U.S." The Village Voice. 12 March 2003. http://apnews.myway.com/article/20030312/D7PNJ4D80.html

Chandrasekaran, Rajiv. "Iraqi Officals Proudly Exhibit a Disputed, Dinged-Up Drone." The Washington Post. 13 March 2003. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17650-2003Mar12.html

Associated Press. "Powell Decries New Iraq Weapon Discovery." U.S.A. Today. 13 March 2003. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-03-10-us-iraq_x.htm
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Media Bias Knowledge Is Rarely
Words: 7231 Length: 20 Document Type: Term Paper

The spin that often surrounds war, is fundamentally damaging even if it is intended as damage control for the nation as a whole, or at the very least the leaders of the nation. Public Belief It has been hinted at within this work that the old adage, the public does not necessarily believe what it hears, but it hears what it believes is at play when it comes to media. As

Media Institutions and Regulations
Words: 1753 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

Media Institutions and Regulations: A Discussion on the Twitter Phenomenon Words change meaning all the time. Take, for example, awful. Today, it means something terrible, but it used to mean filled with awe (aweful). In this case, a different spelling has led to a different interpretation. Yet sometimes, the same word may mean the same exact thing, only in a completely different context. This refers to the example of Twitter. Traditionally, "twitter"

Media Audiences
Words: 1397 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Media Audiences Marxist media theorists discuss the media in terms of their role as 'ideological apparatuses'. Explain the key notions behind this research, paying particular attention to the concept of hegemony and the media's role within it. What is 'hegemony', and why is it important to audience studies? Marxist theorists emphasizes on the role of mass media in reproduction of status quo, however there is no school of thought regarding his theories.

Media Coverage of the 2012
Words: 3960 Length: 12 Document Type: Term Paper

One can be certain that many millions of dollars will flow through the hands of right wing fundraisers like Karl Rove into attack ads against Obama's reform legislation, called "Obamacare" by many who oppose it and even by some who have embraced it. On the subject of public health, in the National Public Radio blog on campaign spending (Kramer, 2010), the reporter interviewed Peter Stone with the Center for Public

Media Influence and the Political
Words: 3626 Length: 13 Document Type: Thesis

" (2001) Kalathil states that the state has been both "empowered and weakened..." By the recent information and communication advances and as well these have created great difficulty for the effective hoarding of control information resources by the government. (2001) As the government in China has lost its monopoly on information, Internet-based media in the country "have capitalized on the opportunities made possible by new technology. By making available a wide

Media Censorship
Words: 2303 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Media Censorship The maneuver of public opinion in America holds the absolute influence in the present world. Their strength is not isolated and uncongenial; it touches each household in America and executes its spirit approximately all through the day. It is the strength that influences and shapes the psyche of nearly all sections of the population, youthful or elderly, wealthy or deprived, naive or urbane. The mass media shapes our picture

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now