In the Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda article, the author Noam Chomsky begins by analyzing two models of democracy. One of the models is in which the public is governed and another in which the public is actively involved. Further, the theme of democracy and other political systems develops. There are many examples from the history of the United States of America to support the idea of the article about the propaganda in mass media.
The author in the article does not appear as a neutral opinion, but he clearly expresses his position. Chomsky says that the public relations and mass media act as the main source of information for many people, and in the United States it is used as a means of delivering propaganda. He emphasizes the negativity of this structure, since, in his opinion, this is what led to the creation of the idea of militancy in society (Chomsky 13). The downside is that the opposite opinion is not given, which could add objectivity to the article and therefore, the author’s bias is noticeable.
The article provides many real-life examples from history that support the author’s thought. The example of the Steel strike in western Pennsylvania story helps to understand the scale of the problem and its realism, in the form of how propaganda can influence the opinion of people. At the same time, Chomsky uses such expressions as “usually the population is pacifist, just like they were during the First World War” (Chomsky 7). These are not scientifically proven facts that are used to support the author’s position, but at the same time, again make the article biased and to some extent, propagandize the author’s opinion.
In conclusion, the article Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda is successful in delivering its message. Thus, the article is convincing for the readers and conveys the main idea of propaganda through the media and public relations. Chomsky uses compelling vocabulary with emotionally-charged words and examples from the American history. At the same time, he is biased and argues only his position, while the opposite is not considered.
Reference
Chomsky, Noam. Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda. Seven Stories, 1997.