Noam Chomsky stands for in Manufacturing Consent that the primary function of the mass media in the US is to mobilize public support for the special interests that dominate the government and the private sector.
If we want to understand the way any society works, the first place to look is, who are in a position to make the decisions that determine the way the society functions?
Societies differ from one another, but the major decisions about what happens in these societies -the decisions over investment, production, and distribution, and so on-, are in the hands of a relatively few concentrated network of major corporations, conglomerates, and investment firms.
They are the ones who staff the major executive positions in the government, the ones who own the media. They have an overwhelming role in the way life happens, over what is done in the society, within the economic system, by law and in principle. They dominate and control the resources to satisfy their interests. They impose very sharp constraints on the political, and ideological system. Therefore, they are the ones who are in a position to Manufacturing Consent to make decisions accordingly with their interests.
Manufacturing Consent explores the political life and ideas of world-renowned linguist, intellectual and political activist Noam Chomsky. Through a collage of biography, archival material and various graphics, and illustrations, Mark Achbar and Peter Wintonick's 22-award-winning documentary highlight Chomsky's probing analysis of mass media and his critique of the forces at work behind the daily news.
Directors: Mark Achbar, Peter Wintonick (1992)
Produced by: Necessary Illusions, Mark Achbar and Peter Wintonick.
Source: Encore+
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuwmWnphqII