Michael Parenti Essay On Media Manipulation

With so many different methods of media manipulation, it’s hard for viewers to get the full truth and have their own opinions based on facts, including reporters covering the news. People in position of political and economic power who are responsible for what is covered in the media control what can and cannot be said. Are we as influenced by what we are not told as we are influenced by what we are told? Absolutely, It is obvious that the most important details to an event are left out of the story, therefore swaying people's opinions. Michael Parenti refers to it as “suppression by omission,” the most common form of media manipulation. Furthermore, unmentioned information can hide away the true meaning behind any event. It’s the reporter's …show more content…

For example, the Palestinians in the “Pallywood” somehow managed to stage their “war” on the Israelis to convince the Palestinian people that the Israelis were dangerous. While pretending to be shot and opening fire into empty building to give the illusion of war, the cameramen caught their actions on tape and shared with the world, therefore misleading the minds of many and causing them to “never ask why”. Instead of individuals doing their own research and forming their own opinions, they convince their minds to share hatred for a group of people that might be entirely misrepresented based upon everyone else's misleading responses. The slighting of content and labeling can have a vast impact on how individuals interpret certain events, and the people who control the media are well aware of that and use it to their advantage. Then there’s the unfairness of masking worldly issues and political news with the media's obsession with celebrity gossip and other topics that hold no importance, but it’s an easy topic to attract viewers. The media keeps viewers misinformed and distracted from what is really going on in this world. It is clear that Parentis' nine methods of manipulation are used in many news coverage stories. The government does not want to be challenged will not reform, so keeping the public blinded is the ultimate solution. In order to grow and better ourselves, we must correctly be informed with true facts and become knowledgeable, and our government controlled media restricts