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Media Control, Second Edition: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda (Open Media Series) Paperback – September 3, 2002
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- Print length112 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSeven Stories Press
- Publication dateSeptember 3, 2002
- Dimensions5 x 0.32 x 6.98 inches
- ISBN-101583225366
- ISBN-13978-1583225363
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About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Seven Stories Press; 2nd ed. edition (September 3, 2002)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 112 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1583225366
- ISBN-13 : 978-1583225363
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 5 x 0.32 x 6.98 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #113,152 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #54 in Propaganda & Political Psychology
- #196 in Censorship & Politics
- #241 in Communication & Media Studies
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Avram Noam Chomsky (/ˈnoʊm ˈtʃɒmski/; born December 7, 1928) is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, logician, 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 has spent more than half a century at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he is Institute Professor Emeritus, and 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.
Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by https://www.flickr.com/photos/culturaargentina [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
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Customers find the book informative and detailed, with a wonderful way of explaining things. They describe it as a great little book that is easy to understand and to the point.
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Customers find the book insightful and informative. They appreciate the author's clear explanations and solid arguments. The book serves as an introduction to Noam Chomsky's ideas and is a good introduction to his unique contribution to modern thought.
"...Media Control" is both brief and informative. The great thing about thi book is you can apply the concepts to instances in the past and present...." Read more
"...It's just a nice high-level essay highlighting the absurdity of the rhetoric of our times. I do have one complaint though...." Read more
"...Noam Chomsky goes directly to the point and his thinking will not leave the reader disappointed. You might wish to try it as an appetizer...." Read more
"...found this 1991 (with a 2003 speech added to the 2nd edition) book to be an eye opener simply because it is such a succinct overview of how our..." Read more
Customers find the book easy to read and accessible. They appreciate its concise and straightforward style. The book is praised as an excellent introduction for Chomsky fans and a quick read for those unfamiliar with his work.
"...Media Control" is both brief and informative. The great thing about thi book is you can apply the concepts to instances in the past and present...." Read more
"...Anyway, a light read for Chomsky fans and a nice intro for those unfamiliar with his work." Read more
"...Noam Chomsky's Media Control is a little and easy to read book. Loved it...." Read more
"Great book like all Chomsky's writings!" Read more
Customers find the book easy to understand and accessible. They describe it as a quick lecture from Chomsky himself.
"Simple, easy to understand, to the point, your average brilliant Chomsky...." Read more
"Fantastic, quick lecture from the man himself. Noam has such a wonderful way at explaining things. Very insightful...." Read more
"One of the first pieces I ever read by Chomsky. Brief and very accessible. An excellent introduction." Read more
"Succinct, Hits the Nail on the Head..." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2010"The Essence of Society is engineering Consent." --Edward Bernays, adviser to Woodrow Wilson.
"Media Control" is both brief and informative. The great thing about thi book is you can apply the concepts to instances in the past and present. The omniscient and omnipotent media. It dictates what most of us discuss at the dinner table, or over a cup of coffee or beer. The topics at hand are spoon-fed to us, and often our very own opinions are spoon-fed to us also. Often, we get a narrow pre-defined "choice" of 2 positions to take on these complicated topics. Often the two positions are oversimplified and more nuanced than actually opposing one another. These issues and circumstances are not that simple. But the media constructs and defines the parameters, simplifies and narrows them, and dishes them out to the public. This is the narrow field of play the mainstream media hands to us. We sheepishly accept it, often without being aware of it nor critically thinking about it. Our opinions on these chosen topics are often limited.
"Media Control" is applicable for the past, present, and future. The rules basically stay the same.
"Not every item of news should be published. Rather must those who control news policies endeavor to make every item of news serve a certain purpose."
-Joseph Goebbels
"It is the absolute right of the state to supervise the formation of public opinion." -Joseph Goebbels
Recent real-life instances of "Media Control" include Freedom Fries, pre-emptive attacks, war-mongering, PNAC, and the Neo-con fad that has infiltrated the US government via appointments, and influenced the US public in recent years: A high percentage of the American public according to polling data is not interested in attacking and overthrowing governments in foreign countries. Therefore, the public has to be influenced, excited, and engineered to endorse such endeavors. Fear is the best motivator to influence public opinion.
One example cited among many was the American public's perception and belief that Iraq would invade the United States. Iraqi armed forces landing on the shores of New Jersey or California? Imagine that. The Americans had to "fight them [the Sunnis) on their soil or they'd have to fight them on our soil." 7/10 American polled believe Iraq & Hussein were involved in 9-11 during the media onslaught that began with Judith Miller of the NY Times and the GWB administration. The Iraq conflict is near (perhaps) the end of US troop involvement, but it's a great illustraion of Media Control.
Another example from this book is former Panamanian ally, Manuel Noriega: a small time operator that dealt drugs in cooperation with the US the government, until he fell out of favor. Noriega was made larger than life. Made into a caricature of a dangerous thug. A threat. The USA removed him and restored power to the 8% white minority elite, having U.S. military officers in positions throughout the government.
Before this in the 1980s, there was the Emergency Threat to the United States: Latin American, Lessor Developed Countries, with ill-trained, and ill-equipped armies.
Ironically, the Creel Commission (CPI) is noted in "Media Control," and appriately so. The Creel Commission was a propaganda campaign to get the USA involved in WWI. It's widely considered by historians to be the center of the creation of the Public Relations (PR) industry.
The media is all-powerful. The thoughts most think, the tenets most believed in, and the words people say, are the words of others.
Highly recommended.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2005Speaking for myself, I get sick when I hear "CNN, The Most Trusted News," and watch Fox and every other mind-melted American media. I have to admit, I also get nauseated (literally) in just the sight of G.W. Bush or any of his administration attempting to tell the "truth." And what's even more disturbing are the supporter's; Blind and angry fighters with bias moral slants and empty slogans. On the other hand, PBS and Comedy Central are refreshing alternative exceptions to all of these deceptions.
Chomsky relates two types of democracy - one where the majority of people are politically active participants, heard, listened and considered. The other, which is what we have, is a vanguard or specialized class of representatives that do the voicing for everyone - the only participation of the public during their elections. And this is what has been both in Lenin's and U.S. liberal's idea; that of a specialized vanguard political and business class endorsed to protect the bewildered public who simply can't think for themselves. In this, modern U.S. propaganda had its beginning with Woodrow Wilson's Creel Commission and later Red Scare.
While former tactics used have been the Creel Commission and the Red Scare, attacks are still used unions and all political organizations with the separating and isolating of people; distracting them with consumerism, TV sitcoms and the Superbowl - to name only a few. Also the use of catchy and empty phrases as "Do you support the," and "Are you for or against." This is used along with many superficial forms of entertainment, gossip columns, sporting events and many other diversions. The bottom line is a One party system, a One business system, with two divisions of the same party - the Democrats and Republicans.
While these distractions and attacks on unions and political organizations have been very successful, they have not broken up the Churches, which act as the few places left for organization and political speeches against propaganda. An example is the recognition that war is wrong, while the government calls those against the Vietnam War part of a Vietnam syndrome, weak and sickly persons.
You name it - the Middle East, Central America, National terrorism - it's all been lied upon by our media and governmental official history, including the number killed in Vietnam, declaring less than a million Vietnamese, while other sources reveal millions. What do we think when other countries and groups lie about the amount of people murdered in the Holocaust?
It was only until the 1960's that the culture awakened unlike before. Even in highly prejudice and opinionated parts of the country, open talks can now be given. Where formerly there was both the lack of understanding and opposition, now there is still opposition but with much more understanding and at least some type of semi-organizational national movements despite all the media propaganda.
In our recent times with unemployment raised, lower wages, loss of health care affordability, dwindling social security, and much more poverty than before, the sitcoms, consumerism and the Superbowl are not enough. The tactics needed are to continually create new enemies to fight, new terror to control and general fear within the public; as in Saddam Hussein, Bin Laden, Castro, Quadhafi, drug traffickers, Arabs - all with our magnificent military force that wipes out these supposed tyrannies - in reality they are weak third world armies - all acting as distractions and diversions from the real truth; U.S. imperialism and abuse of labor and natural resources by the few powerful and wealthy. Cuba is likely to be next. In an effort to gain control over labor and natural resources and prevent economic independence, the strategy is to first provoke them. And then when they act under defense, they are set-up under the lie of offence as reported by the media, demanding that we defend and brilliantly crush them under patriotic morals and values. "God Bless America." Now we can all relax with a sigh of relief now that this terrible dictatorial tyranny has been eliminated and decent human rights and values have been restored.
9. While the media widely publicized the jail and torture of the former Cuban prisoner, Armando Valladares, and the U.S. both commending him for his courage and then appointing him as a representative of the UN human rights commission, a much more detailed, mountainous evidence of signed affidavits of human rights commission members in El Salvador imprisoned and tortured by the U.S., and acquired by Hebert Anaya were entirely ignored by the media. Only one small blurb mentioned. And when finally released from prison, he was quietly assassinated by U.S. backed security forces.
People who were polled responded against countries that occupy others illegally and perform human rights abuses. And yet all over the globe, both the U.S. and U.S. backed forces do just that, an example being the U.S. backed invasion, torture and killings of Indonesia to those in East Timor, killing over 200,000, while the media remains silent. And while Israel occupies Lebanon illegally against UN resolution 425, with U.S. backing, killing over 20,000 in Beirut, hospitals and vital centers, there is no media coverage.
Over the years, the media refused to report to the public the critical voices of the Iraqi democrats around the world since they condemned the U.S. friendly relations with Saddam Hussein. Only after Saddam became the enemy were their voices given any coverage. But no sooner did they voice their antiwar sentiments and opinion against imperialistic maneuvers; they were again completely ignored by the media. You can only read about them in some of the German and British press. What does this say of our democracy?
Chomsky gives the reasons U.S. gave for the Gulf War; Aggressors can not be rewarded and must be reversed by violence. And yet the U.S. does this all the time and no one questions their aggressions, as in their 20 years of quiet diplomacy (no attack) of South Africa's killings, 1.5 million in just the Bush-Reagan years. Again no media coverage, a hallmark sign of a totalitarian and bias culture.
While two-thirds of Americans polled favored peace negotiations with Iraq, the media continued to drill the government's view of no diplomacy. Meanwhile Iraq had offered total withdrawal, and again no coverage. Any who thought of negotiations were made to feel like oddballs since the media shows that no one thinks this way. And no Democrat dared speak up either.
While the U.S. blocks sanctions against Israel for her defying the UN in illegally occupying Lebanon since 1978, it hypocritically employs sanctions against Cuba and Iraq. And these have worked, weakening Iraq tremendously. Negotiations are offered by Iraq, but Bush refuses for the same economic exploitative reasons in a small country torn by a war with Iran. And now suddenly it is a dangerous power that threatens the entire world with lies about stockpiles of chemical weapons and WMD. The same exact tactics were used only a year earlier on Nicaragua's Manual Noriega, deceptively elevated to a large and dangerous drug trafficking threat to the world. But he had to be smashed, killing hundreds, maybe thousands of people, and restoring a vicious police state. History repeats itself.
It's all about whether we want a pseudo democracy of representatives and servitude or a free democracy of active citizen participation. These are our choices.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2007If it were any other author, I would say, "show me your sources." But it's Chomsky, and he's already written enough books showing his sources. This one isn't meant to be a footnoted volume of case-and-point. It's just a nice high-level essay highlighting the absurdity of the rhetoric of our times. I do have one complaint though. I wish this focused a little bit more on the media than the government. Chomsky blends the two together and speaks of one as if it's the other. Hmmmm...on second thought, maybe he did that on purpose.
Anyway, a light read for Chomsky fans and a nice intro for those unfamiliar with his work.
Top reviews from other countries
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Cliente AmazonReviewed in Spain on November 2, 20244.0 out of 5 stars Es lo que esperaba
Está bien
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DanielReviewed in Germany on September 6, 20245.0 out of 5 stars umfassendes provokantes und gut gelungenes Werk
Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda von Noam Chomsky ist eine kritische Analyse der Rolle der Massenmedien in modernen Gesellschaften, insbesondere in den USA. Das Buch basiert auf einer Vortragsreihe Chomskys und thematisiert, wie Medien als Instrumente zur Manipulation der öffentlichen Meinung genutzt werden, um politische und wirtschaftliche Eliten zu unterstützen.
Chomsky erklärt in seinem Werk, wie Propaganda und gezielte Medienberichterstattung genutzt werden, um die Bevölkerung von wichtigen politischen Fragen abzulenken oder zu beeinflussen. Er zeigt auf, dass die Medien häufig nicht dazu da sind, objektiv zu informieren, sondern eher dazu, bestehende Machtstrukturen zu stabilisieren und die öffentliche Zustimmung für staatliche oder unternehmerische Interessen zu sichern. Der Begriff “Manufacturing Consent”, den Chomsky in früheren Arbeiten verwendet, wird auch hier deutlich – Medien formen die Meinung der Massen, um ein Konsensbild zu erzeugen, das oft den Interessen einer kleinen, privilegierten Elite dient.
Eines der zentralen Themen des Buches ist die Vorstellung, dass demokratische Gesellschaften, obwohl sie das Ideal der Meinungsfreiheit propagieren, stark von einer elitären Kontrolle über die Informationen geprägt sind, die den Menschen zur Verfügung gestellt werden. Chomsky zieht dabei Parallelen zwischen den Techniken moderner Propaganda und denen, die in totalitären Regimen angewendet werden – allerdings auf subtilere Weise. Ein berühmtes Beispiel, das er diskutiert, ist die Manipulation der Berichterstattung über Kriege und internationale Konflikte, wobei die US-Regierung systematisch Informationen filtert, um militärische Aktionen zu rechtfertigen und die Öffentlichkeit davon zu überzeugen, dass sie notwendig und gerechtfertigt seien.
Media Control ist ein kurzes, aber kraftvolles Buch, das dem Leser ein tieferes Verständnis darüber vermittelt, wie Medien zur Beeinflussung der öffentlichen Meinung genutzt werden können. Chomskys Sprache ist klar und zugänglich, auch für diejenigen, die keine tiefen Vorkenntnisse in der Medienkritik haben. Obwohl das Buch erstmals 1991 veröffentlicht wurde, sind die darin behandelten Themen und Analysen immer noch hochaktuell, besonders im digitalen Zeitalter, in dem soziale Medien und alternative Informationsquellen eine noch stärkere Rolle spielen.
Fazit: Media Control ist eine aufschlussreiche und kritische Auseinandersetzung mit der Macht der Medien in modernen Demokratien. Noam Chomsky zeigt eindrucksvoll, wie die Medien verwendet werden, um Meinungen zu steuern und gesellschaftliche Kontrolle auszuüben. Ein wichtiges Buch für alle, die sich mit Medien, Politik und Propaganda auseinandersetzen möchten.
Sandip BhadraReviewed in India on June 27, 20215.0 out of 5 stars Short history of Corporate media
No explanation is needed about the writer. This is a short book which starts from the genesis of corporate media. It explains how the propaganda is made by the media to control the common people. This is truly a great book.
No explanation is needed about the writer. This is a short book which starts from the genesis of corporate media. It explains how the propaganda is made by the media to control the common people. This is truly a great book.5.0 out of 5 stars Short history of Corporate media
Sandip Bhadra
Reviewed in India on June 27, 2021
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HENDERSON XavierReviewed in France on June 4, 20205.0 out of 5 stars contemporain et déniaisant
Avec les media sociaux, tout et n'importe quoi et qui a voix. Du plus bête au plus intelligent comme si tous étaient comparables. Noam Chomsky nous aide à comprendre les dangers de cet aplanissement prélude d'un asservissement par la pensée de masse et des chefs de meute
TSReviewed in Australia on September 14, 20215.0 out of 5 stars Must read for citizen members
The first half is a short lecture by Chomsky, and the narration is the recording of the lecture. You can take Chomsky's lecture on walking or the bus!
I must admit that I have been pretty naive regarding media control and modern propaganda. The Covid panic made me question the media narratives. Some media/communication experts have mentioned "propaganda," and I read this book.
It was fascinating, and I was surprised that modern propaganda is not hidden from its history but officially recorded. I have realized that I myself have been affected by propaganda.
Though I don't know how we can overcome this weakness of democracy, I think all citizen members must read this.


