The mass media form for us our image of the world and then tell us what to think about that image. Essentially everything we know — or think. We know — about events outside our own neighborhood or circle of acquaintances comes to us via our daily newspaper. Our weekly news magazine. our radio. Or our television.
It is not just the heavy-handed suppression of certain news stories. From our newspapers or the blatant propagandizing of history-distorting TV “docudramas” that characterizes the opinion-manipulating techniques of the media masters. They exercise both subtlety and thoroughness in their management of the news and the entertainment that they present to us.
The way in which the news is covered:
Which items are emphasized and which are played down; the reporter’s choice of words. tone of voice. and facial expressions. The wording of headlines; the choice of illustrations . All of these things subliminally. And yet profoundly affect the way in which we interpret what we see or hear.
On top of this. of course. doubt from phone number list our minds as to just what we are to think about it all. Employing carefully developed psychological techniques. They guide our thought and opinion so that we can be in tune with the “in” crowd. the “beautiful people.”
The “smart money”
They let us know exactly what our attitudes should be toward various types of people and behavior by placing those people or that using case studies to attract leads behavior in the context of a TV drama or situation comedy and having the other TV characters react in the Politically Correct way. The White racist “gun nut.” in fact. has become a familiar stereotype on TV shows.
The average American of whose daily life
TV-watching takes such an unhealthy portion. distinguishes between these fictional situations and reality only with difficulty. if at all. He responds to the televised actions. statements. and attitudes of TV actors much as he does to his own peers in real life. For all too many Americans the real world has been replaced by the false reality of the .
TV environment. and it is to this false reality that his urge to conform responds. Thus. when a TV scriptwriter expresses approval email data of some ideas and actions through the TV characters for whom he is writing. and disapproval of others. he exerts a powerful pressure on millions of viewers toward conformity with his own views.
