The Fact
Herman and Chomsky’s propaganda model explicitly argued that systematic media bias can arise without formal censorship and without requiring journalists to act dishonestly or participate in a conspiracy. They wrote that structural constraints can become so normal that journalists working with integrity and goodwill may still operate within premises shaped by ownership, advertising, sourcing, flak, and ideology.
What This Means
A system can shape information through incentives and institutional structure even when individual participants believe they are acting independently and professionally.
Sources
- Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky, Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media, 1988, Chapter 1, “A Propaganda Model.”