Analysis of the
Media's Use of Techniques in Public Persuasion

The Century of the Self is a British television documentary film that focuses on the family of Sigmund Freud, particularly his daughter and nephew, who influenced the way corporations and governments throughout the 20th century have thought about, and dealt with, people.

A film about the noted American linguist/political dissident Noam Chomsky and his warning about corporate media's role in modern propaganda.

Documentary that looks at the concept of the corporation throughout recent history up to its present-day dominance.

Is American foreign policy dominated by the idea of military supremacy? Has the military become too important in American life? Jarecki's shrewd and intelligent polemic would seem to give an affirmative answer to each of these questions.

Filmmaker James Earp draws on the theories of Nation magazine defense correspondent Michael T. Klare to challenge conventional wisdom regarding the theory that America's military engagements in the Middle East are motivated by oil, and correct the historical record surrounding the controversial theory.

A documentary film concerning peak oil and its implications for the suburban lifestyle, written and directed by Toronto-based filmmaker Gregory Greene.

In April 2002, an Irish film crew is making a documentary about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, when a coup from the opposition is made.

Award winning journalist John Pilger examines the role of Washington in America's manipulation of Latin American politics during the last 50 years leading up to the struggle by ordinary people to free themselves from poverty and racism. Since

A road trip across five countries to explore the social and political movements as well as the mainstream media's misperception of South America while interviewing seven of its elected presidents.

Takes a closer look at what brought about the financial meltdown.

A documentary on perception of the United States's war with Iraq, with an emphasis on Al Jazeera's coverage.

A TV network cynically exploits a deranged ex-TV anchor's ravings and revelations about the media for their own profit.

A series of three documentaries about the use of fear for political gain.

A documentary about branding, advertising and product placement that is financed and made possible by brands, advertising and product placement.

A powerful new film about advertising and inspiration.

Consuming Kids throws desperately needed light on the practices of a relentless multi-billion dollar marketing machine that now sells kids and their parents everything from junk food and violent video games to bogus educational products and the family car

Public Opinion (1922), by Walter Lippman, is a critical assessment of functional democratic government, especially the irrational, and often self-serving, social perceptions that influence individual behavior, and prevent optimal societal cohesion. The descriptions of the cognitive limitations people face in comprehending their socio-political and cultural environments, proposes that people must inevitably apply an evolving catalogue of general stereotypes to a complex reality, rendered Public Opinion a seminal text in the fields of media studies, political science, and social psychology.

"In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons...who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind." Edward Bernays

This classic book on propaganda technique focuses on American, British, French, and German experience in World War I. The book sets forth a simple classification of various psychological materials used to produce certain specific results and proposes a general theory of strategy and tactics for the manipulation of these materials.

While these interviews span a two-year period and end early in 1994, they remain provocative and timely, with Chomsky's insights on Haiti, Northern Ireland and the Middle East proving especially resonant.

This compelling book examines the twentieth-century history of corporate propaganda as practiced by U.S. businesses and its export to and adoption by other western democracies, chiefly the United Kingdom and Australia. A volume in the series The History of Communication, edited by Robert W. McChesney and John C. Nerone

A passionate, thought-provoking, sometimes incendiary look at the role of propaganda in American today-- by leading political pundits, intellectuals, and writers.

When the first edition of The Media Monopoly was published in 1983, critics called Ben Bagdikian's warnings about the chilling effects of corporate ownership and mass advertising on the nation"s news "alarmist." Since then, the number of corporations controlling most of America"s daily newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations, book publishers, and movie companies has dwindled from fifty to ten to five.

Propaganda and Democracy is the first comprehensive study on the relationship of propaganda to participatory democracy in the United States during the twentieth century. The muckrakers were the first critics to question whether the standard practices of communication industries, such as advertising and public relations, undermined the ability of citizens to gather enough reliable information in order to participate meaningfully in society. The communication industry has countered that propaganda merely circulates socially useful information in an efficient manner and, further, that propaganda is harmless to democracy because of competition and professional codes. Agreeing that propaganda is neutral, quantitative social scientists justify their own efforts to render persuasion more effective through experimental and survey research. Still others argue whether citizens can intelligently discuss anything without a formal education in critical analysis. This study critically examines these various schools of thought in an effort to determine and understand the contribution and effects of propaganda in a democratic society.

Will Eisner, the great American master of comics, has undertaken what he regards as his most powerful work yet. The Plot examines the outrageous fabrication of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which purports to be the actual blueprint by Jewish leaders to take over the world. Hatched as an anti-Semitic plot by the tsar's secret police to deflect wide-spread criticism of the government, the Protocols, first published in 1905, succeeded beyond the propagandistic ambitions of its originators; the lie became an internationally accepted truth. Presenting a pageant of historical figures including Tsar Nicholas II, Henry Ford, and Adolf Hitler, Eisner exposes the twisted history of the Protocols from nineteenth-century Russia to modern-day Klan members to Islamic fundamentalists. The Plot unravels one of the most devastating hoaxes of the twentieth century.

The most virulent viruses today are composed of information. In this information-driven age, the easiest way to manipulate the culture is through the media. A hip and caustically humorous McLuhan for the '90s, culture watcher Douglas Rushkoff now offers a fascinating expose of media manipulation in today's age of instant information.

In Life Inc., award-winning writer, documentary filmmaker, and scholar Douglas Rushkoff traces how corporations went from a convenient legal fiction to the dominant fact of contemporary life. Indeed as Rushkoff shows, most Americans have so willingly adopted the values of corporations that they are no longer even aware of it.

Al Gore argues that the decentralized, text-oriented internet, which empowers individuals to form communities and publish their own video clips, is 'perhaps the greatest source of hope for reestablishing an open communications environment in which the conversation of democracy can flourish.

The tremendous growth of the so-called information superhighway has opened countless new channels for media, but only a very few opportunities for ... Show synopsis The tremendous growth of the so-called information superhighway has opened countless new channels for media, but only a very few opportunities for control of these channels. In this book, the author of "Telecommunications, Mass Media, and Democracy" traces the emergence of the global media monopoly, describes what the main players are up to, and details how the Internet is being brought under their control.

Challenging Media presents the threats of advertising and consumption to the well-being of our global society.

College Conspiracy debunks many myths, including the belief that Americans with college degrees earn $1 million more in lifetime income compared to high school graduates without a college degree.

ACME Co-President Bob McCannon deconstructs the decided lack of mainstream news coverage re: the recent sub-prime mortgage debacle in his afternoon keynote.

A not-for-profit, anti-consumerist, pro-environment[1] organization founded in 1989

Free of any funding from Big Media, ACME is an emerging global coalition run by and for media educators, a network that champions a three-part mission:

Free Press is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to reform the media. Through education, organizing and advocacy, we promote diverse and independent media ownership, strong public media, quality journalism and universal access to communications.

McChesney is the author of several books on media and politics, professor of communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, host of the weekly talk show, Media Matters, on WILL-AM radio, and cofounder of the media reform organization Free Press.

SUT JHALLY is Professor of Communication at the University of Massachusetts and founder and Executive Director of the Media Education Foundation.

Reporting on spin and disinformation since 1994

La Quadrature du Net is an advocacy group that promotes the rights and freedoms of citizens on the Internet.

Documentary Films, Challenging Media

An American media theorist, writer, columnist, lecturer, graphic novelist and documentarian. He is best known for his association with the early cyberpunk culture, and his advocacy of open source solutions to social problems.

A great source to learn more about Corporations and their influence over democracy.

Some 250 participants from 150 media-reform, labor, religious and other organizations attended the convention in St. Louis. They debated and approved a People's Communication Charter, a Viewer's Declaration of Independence and plans for the organization.

A radio station with another view

Formerly Disinfopedia-Sourcewatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy (CMD).

Established in 1997, this is the place to go to learn about how ideas are developed for industry, education, and government, and how they have been applied to successful public relations programs since the PR industry was born.

An organization committed to the tenets of free information, free culture, and free society.

A Collection of Research Based Articles written by such notables as Edward S. Herman, Harold D. Lasswell, and Joseph Goebbels, to name a few.

A Collection of Propaganda Posters during the World Wars to Persuade Public Opinion.