The Role of the Media in Manufacturing Consent

Madeline Harden 

mh361519@ohio.edu

Cartoon by Matt Wuerker from Politico

"The media" is a broad term but is most associated with the people and organizations that report the news. The media is also considered the fourth estate of society, just next to legislation, judiciary, and executive. It is held so highly because of the press's ability to frame political issues and especially its impact in the political sphere. 

The media has a significant position in a democracy. The responsibility of a journalist is to investigate, report, and share important information for their community; above all, and reporting needs to be fair and honest. The purpose of the media is to be a watchdog and work to make these communities aware of the ongoing issues. 

However, there has been a shift in American democracy and its backsliding. The idea of operating under the consent of the governed is no longer the American ideal it used to be, and the media is partly to blame. 

Manufactured consent is backed by the idea of the propaganda model of communication, which holds the media accountable for its role in politics and democracy. 

Most mass media outlets are for-profit operations that must cater to the financial interests of their owners. They are businesses that must meet a bottom line, wherein certain kinds of reporting can either harm or help that bottom line. That can distort the truth or force an outlet to avoid specific stories altogether. 

With money as the primary motivator, advertisements are vital to any mass media outlet. While sales and subscriptions are also means of income, they are incomparable advertisers. Outlets must cater to their advertisers' political prejudices or economic desires or opt for financial ruin. That contributes to the loss of so many local newspapers. 

Gatekeeping is another massive issue for the fourth estate. More prominent media outlets have de facto privilege and access to more news sources (specifically governmental) than smaller local news outlets. If a particular outlet poses some disfavor to a source, they are excluded from accessing, which creates an environment to avoid harsh criticism in fear of losing access. Losing access leads to losing stories and dwindling viewership, then complete closure.

Many journalists are credited for being first amendment protectors, rightfully so. The number of Supreme Court cases involving journalists and media outlets defending their reporting is only growing; however, this may deter some news outlets. A lawsuit is expensive and can harm public image, affecting how an outlet chooses to report specific issues and stories. 

These filters have a massive impact on the information that people receive as news. Therefore, editorial decisions to take the path of less resistance are not appropriately serving our communities. 

America's democracy is suffering, and the media needs to be more than a mouthpiece for the government. All of this isn't to further demonize the media but to encourage accountability. It's a reminder of our role and our responsibilities to our communities. We can look at this and see what needs to change and how we can be a part of that change.