In “Manufacturing Consent,” authors Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky argue that Americans have been systematically misled about the substance and morality of US foreign policies. They fear that the public’s world view is shaped by ”propaganda” disseminated by American news media that are heavily influenced by market forces, internalized assumptions, and self-censorship, as well as by right-wing pressures, government news management and the corporate community.
With highly detailed research, they move through a series of case studies of pivotal historical events that were reported in a distorted and one-sided manner, leading to compelling indictments of the news media’s role in covering up errors and deceptions in American foreign policy of the past quarter-century. The authors conclude with a dark prognosis for America’s ability to conduct a successful and moral foreign policy.
