SocietyMassCom: Libertarianism and a Chomskyan Critique (W7-P2) Fa17

Political ideology: “A political ideology is a coherent set of views on politics and the role of the government” (Cliff Notes).

Libertarianism is another example of a political ideology.

Libertarianism: “In the most general sense, libertarianism is a political philosophy that affirms the rights of individuals to liberty, to acquire, keep, and exchange their holdings, and considers the protection of individual rights the primary role for the state” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).

Libertarianism in 6 Minutes

Chomsky and his Critique of (American) Libertarianism

Noam Chomsky is a famous media critique and social activist (Wikipedia).

Noam Chomsky - Freedom of Speech, Press and Media Regulation

Chomsky and Manufacturing Consent

One of Chomsky’s books that deals critically with media is Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media.  This is also a title of a documentary and Chomsky and his idea.

Manufacturing Consent (trailer)

Continued.




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SocietyMassCom: Progressivism, the Fourth Estate, Muckrackers and Ida B. Wells (W7-P1) Fa17

Politics and the Media

So...
What should  the relationship be between media and government?

What should  the relationship be between news and politics?

Progressivism

Political ideology: “A political ideology is a coherent set of views on politics and the role of the government” (Cliff Notes).

Progressivism is an example of a political ideology.

Progressivism:  “the support for or advocacy of social reform” (Wikipedia).

Progressivism:  “philosophy-ideology who believed in measured, moderate progress (change) opposed to conservatism, which advocates for [minimal] change” (Urbandictionary.com).

The Progressive Era: Crash Course US History (0:00-7:45)

Still hear of progressivism today?

The Fourth Estate

The Fourth Estate: “The people and organizations that report the news, or news journalism as a whole, regarded as having palpable but unofficial political influence” (thefreedictionary.com)

What is the relationship between progressivism and the Fourth Estate?

Muckrackers and Ida B. Wells

muckrakers: "Journalism, particularly magazine journalists, who in the early 20th century conducted investigative journalism on major corporations and government, and dubbed Muckrakers for the "muck" they uncovered” (Palik & McIntosh, p. 86).

Ida B. Wells "Female African American journalist in the latter nineteenth century who wrote and fought against racism and lynching of blacks” (Pavlik & McIntosh, p. 224).

Ida B Wells - Civil Rights Pioneer

Ida B. Wells: a Passion for Justice

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ComTheory: Media, Normative Theories and a Chomskyan Critique (W7/W9-P1) Fa17

“Normative theories … don’t describe things as they are, nor do they provide scientific explanations or predictions. Instead, they describe the way things should be if some ideal values or principles are to be realized” (Baran and Davis, p. 61).

When looking at media we could start to ask questions like: How should media be organized?  What relationship should there be between media and government?

One normative political theory that can be applied to media is libertarianism.

Libertarianism: “In the most general sense, libertarianism is a political philosophy that affirms the rights of individuals to liberty, to acquire, keep, and exchange their holdings, and considers the protection of individual rights the primary role for the state” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).

Libertarianism in 6 Minutes

Chomsky and his Critique of (American) Libertarianism

“Noam Chomsky ... is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, and political activist. Sometimes described as "the father of modern linguistics," Chomsky is also a major figure in analytic philosophy and one of the founders of the field of cognitive science. He is the author of over 100 books on topics such as linguistics, war, politics, and mass media. Ideologically, he aligns with anarcho-syndicalism and libertarian socialism” (Wikipedia).

Noam Chomsky - Freedom of Speech I

Chomsky and Manufacturing Consent

On of Chomsky’s books that deals critically with media is Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media.  This is also a title of a documentary and Chomsky and his idea.

Manufacturing Consent (trailer)

When watching the full documentary, take careful notes on terms like hegemony, manufacturing consent, necessary illusions, media consolidation/concentration, the Herman & Chomsky propaganda model and flak  Note also lists like those associated with the propaganda model.

If you are interested, parts of the Manufacturing Consent doc are available YouTube.
Also, if you interested, you may find "Key points in 'Manufacturing Consent'" helpful.

Also, if interested, there is a more up-to-date video of 5 filters of the propaganda model.

Lastly, if you are interested in what Manufacturing Consent says about today's media landscape, you may want to check out these two videos, one a more recent interview of Herman and the other of Chomsky.

• "Manufacturing Consent" 25 Years Later
• Noam Chomsky - On the Internet and 'Manufacturing Consent' (Interview)

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