The role of the media is fundamental to the modern democratic process. For most people the media are a dominant source of information about the world: they tell us what matters, who matters, so the quality of democracy depends on the information provided by the media (Lewis, 1997). If we want to understand how the media works we must look at their institutional structure, for example how they are organised, who controls and finances the media (Chomsky, 1997). Now the big question is: is all the information we receive from the mainstream media authentic? Or some points of view are dominant while others are excluded. Over the past 30 years there has been extensive research into whether the media is influenced by wealthy corporations and conservative interests (Herman, 1997). My thesis for this article will be who really controls the media, what filters media news passes through, and what the credibility of information that passes through these filters comes from. In this essay I will also focus on the other side, for example some people believe that the media has no choice but to depend on these filters if they want to work effectively. Herman and Chomsky (1989) present a set of five “filters” that effectively remove news from the media that could influence our current social order and thus protect the interests of elites. These five filters include corporate ownership, media funding sources, supplies including government and large corporations, anti-aircraft fire, and anti-communist ideology. This model suggests the existence of a series of news “filters” that dilute raw news content into content that suits government and corporate interests. The first filter is ownership: these are large companies and the media are increasingly concentrated in the hands of these private individuals. ... half the paper ... m would have expired'' (New York Times, 2004). While the media increases public anger by reporting this news as the Governor was having a homosexual relationship with the national security incumbent. The media did not report this news because there are possibilities of terrorism, rather they just wanted to create fear among citizens. So this example shows that media content has been changed to create panic and fear. So, in the end, the idea of liberal media is a myth because when we do the systematic analysis of media institutions, the idea of liberal media seems reckless (Lewis, 1997). . Since these five filters narrow the range of news, doubts arise about the credibility of media reports. I believe the media is simply promoting and protecting the interests of some groups. The media should realize the impact of news on the minds of the public, especially when they believe what they see in the media.
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