What Makes Mainstream Media Mainstream?

Today, let's take a gander at the article "What Makes Mainstream Media Mainstream" by philosopher and writer Noam Chomsky. This article was originally published in Z Magazine in 1997.

As you read Chomsky's article answer the following questions:

1. According to Chomsky, why is media easier to study than other parts of intellectual culture?
2. How does Chomsky define "the elite media" or the "agenda setting media"? Who are they/what do they do?
3. According to Chomsky, what is the real mass media trying to do to its audience?
4. What are the three "currents" Chomsky mentions to examine when determining bias in the Mass Media?
5. According to Chomsky, what is our presumed "job" as a mass media audience?
6. What does Chomsky mean when he says, "a responsible man"--what defines a responsible man to the Elite Media?
7. What are some interesting historical facts about how the media evolved in America?
8. What is the job of a public relations industry?
9. Who was Bernays, what did he write, & what issue propelled him to fame? (3 parts to this question!)
10. What did James Madison write was the main goal of the U.S. Constitution?

Main points not to miss in Chomsky's article:

A. Different media do different things: Hollywood (film) appeals to a mass audience, for example. So do most Newspapers (but not all), etc. Different television programs are directed toward a specific audience. It is helpful to think about who exactly this audience is?
B. How do we study the Media? Chomsky stresses that we should ask: 

1. What appears (what is the product)? or Who is the BUYER. 
2. What DOESN'T appear (what was left out of the message)? Who is ignored? (the OTHER) 
3. How is the product biased or slanted toward its audience? What is the motivation of the SELLER?

• Chomsky stresses the point that when we study the media, we begin by asking questions about its structure--in other words, how is it built or constructed and for what purpose? 
• If we take the Rap industry, for example, we might start off an examination of it by asking: how is the industry built, and what purpose does it serve? Who is the audience for this Rap Industry, and who benefits from it? (i.e., you are examining the subject by looking at its structure of power and authority--who has the power?)
• If possible, it is helpful to find the "internal record" in the system--what do the people on the inside say to each other about what they're up to--or people from the outside (often once insiders) who criticize the industry? For example: what do former Rap stars criticize about the Rap industry? 
• Once we establish a hypothesis (thesis or main idea or controlling idea), we investigate or research the media product to see how well it fits our thesis. 

Now let's discuss what you think.

1. Do you agree/disagree with Chomsky's position? Why or why not? (Use evidence and examples to support your opinion, please!) 
2. How does Chomsky change the way you understand MEDIA? 
3. What questions do you still have about the political motivations of the mainstream media?