Marxist Theory on Fake News and Media Propaganda

Marxist Theory on mold immatures and Media PropagandaFake discussion, Propaganda and Media Bias An illusion of the truth?The internet has revolutionised the way information is presented and consumed. The tralatitious watchwordworthinesspaper, for example, is no longer the main medium of intelligence activity coverage. This and so, has meant that loudness media, in general, has had to find new ways of creating money. As a result, one could beg, that the intelligence is non objective nevertheless sooner kindly manufactured by a discriminating process. Events happen, but this doesnt automatically mean that they entrust dedicate the headlines or the intelligence agency coverage at all. As a result, one could argue that the media is stooped and is altered to represent legitimate views and ideologies. The construct of delusive parole and the deliberate misleading and deceptive information presented in the media could take the form of propaganda. As a society we exhau st draw more media saturated but argon these agencies of communication, we refer to as mass media, transmitting an illusion of the truth? Onecould argue that the news is socially constructed and as McQuail mention, it isnot objective or impartial (McQuail, 1998). The reality is that the news issocially manufactured as a result of a selective process carried out by gatekeepers the editors, journalists and proprietors. This leaves room for media bias asthe news is essentially influenced by a group or individuals own opinions andjudgements. The news is not just simply a collection of facts but rather acollection of knowledge made up of information which is awry(p) reflecting aninterpretation. The process of selection, one could argue, is influenced byorganizational constraints, values of media outlets and ideology. This cerebrate nowadays to the Marxist theory that the news is fabricated and is an ideologicalapparatus which helps put forward power. Media outlets shape the news and as aresult we get injected, c atomic number 18 the hypodermic syringe model suggests, with ideasthat may be an illusion of the truth. As Miliband noted the media shapes how wethink about the world we live in (Miliband, 1976) in that locationfore if media bias isinfluencing the news, chief(prenominal) issues standardized poverty, which show weakness in thecapitalistic system, are samely to be concealed. In contrast, media outlets areconstantly providing us with information regarding governmental, financial andindustrial states, for example recently the benefits of Brexit, whichreinforces corporate values.Forexample, during the EU referendum, media outlets helped broadcast the idea thatthe 350 million sent to the EU weekly would be used to help the NHS instead,if voters opted to vote Brexit. However, after the referendum, the Brexitleaders decided to abdicate the pledge (The Guardian, 2017). This case clearlydemonstrates exploitation through misleading the public, as the NHS was a topicthat they felt strongly about. This was a major political change, Marx wouldargue that the media transmitted the conservative ideology here in theinterests of the elite. This could excessively be classified as a case of propaganda.As Herman and Chomsky noted the media participating in propaganda campaigns isnothing new (Herman and Chomsky, 1988). winning this into account, one couldargue that the media purposefully selected facts designed to deceive us (Brennen,2017) and encourage Brexit. The media is dependent on the government andbusinesses as sources of information. These overlapping interests mean there isa certain degree of solidarity between them, as Highfield notes the personaland political are highly interlinked (Highfield, 2016), which means the makewas inevitable.Furthermore,analysing the headlines and news coverage, there seems to be a manikin wherecertain rasets are reported more than others, which reinforces the idea thatmedia outlets choose what mak es the news. For example, recently we gotcontinuous reports and headlines which revolved around Hurri dirty doge Harvey whichhad a death gong of eighty-two (Moravec and Moravec, 2017). On the other hand,the floods near sierra Leones capital,Freetown, Africa were hardly reported, even though the death toll was overthree hundred (BBC new(a)s, 2017). The moral philosophy can undoubtedly be questioned here,the two events occurred at similar quantify so why was one reported more than theother? This relates to Spencer-Thomass (Owen Spencer-Thomas, 2017) idea ofnews values where the guidelines for what is considered newsworthy comeinto foregather. The Freetown floods it could be debated were not as significant asHurricane Harvey, and consequently didnt make the headlines.Alternatively, it could be argued that the media isnot biased but rather like either other cooperation in society, works within thehierarchal structure conformist to the requirements which bring reward (Curranand Sea ton, 2010). Media outlets are businesses essentially thus need good deal toinvest to generate tax income. Therefore, rather than being biased and promotingfake news, it could be argued that media outlets actually focus and tailor thecontent based on their audiences. For example, flipper News is characterized byshort, snappy bulletins aimed at a young audience. In contrast, The Guardianhas detailed articles which are aimed at more qualified professionals. Furthermore, to succeed, media outlets have now hadto intensify media strategies to compete with cybermedia organisations (Williamsand Tapscott, 2014). Considering this, it could be argued that media outlets choosethe most important stories as a way of fulfilling users needs and their ownprofit interests(Fuchs, 2014), online. This links with the conceptof clickbaiting which is used by media outlets to attract audiences to ideaswhich appeal to them. Postmodernists,would argue that media outlets are a channel to promote consumption rather thanpropaganda. They tailor and straight certain information towards certain peckin the hopes of increasing revenue through advertisements. The increasingdiversity of choice, globalisation and social media has resulted in a varietyof influences shaping our identities. One could argue, that users are not exploited, asFuchs notes, users voluntarily choose to use platforms (Fuchs, 2014). Marxstheory can be criticised for presenting users as passive rather than activeparticipants. The idea that there has been a cultural shift away from theself-conscious user towards the subject as aristocratical (Lovink, 2016) can bedebated. The revolution of the internet has meant that people can actively argufy the media, social media has become a weapon of mass collaborationism (Williamsand Tapscott, 2014). Therefore, it could be argued that fake news is a thing ofthe past, with social media inundate with different perspectives there hasbeen, as Mason notes, an increase in individual fr eedom and human consciousness.The evidence lies in the streams of social media comments which criticallychallenge a piece of news. From oneperspective, it could be stated that social media has helped a digitalrevolution to occur where the masses have finally gained a voice and power. Moreover, it could be claimed that people choosewhich news stories to study thus fake news can only exist if people allow itto be. Audiences receive and interpret the news and as a result, not everyonewill be affected in the same way. Consequently, if media outlets are promotingpropaganda there is a very small chance that everyone will be misled. rafttend to read and seek out information that interests them and confirms theirexisting views (Festinger, 1962). Taking this into account, one could arguethat the media is just a scapegoat for media bias and fake news. The realitycould be in fact that media bias and fake news is affected and createddepending on a range of psychological and social factors, i t may not be biasbut rather unconscious nature.Without question, the media plays a major role insociety today, whether it be influential or informative. Media technologies maynot be the contemporary opiates of the people as maxwell and Miller (Maxwelland Miller, 2012) suggest but the validity and objectivity of media outlets canundeniably be questioned. The news is affected by a range of factors and itis unworkable for it to be completely objective. This may not necessarily makeit propaganda but rather a certain opinion. Media outlets need to generaterevenue and therefore, media bias may be a method of tailoring articles towardsaudiences rather than intentionally ignoring incidents because of capitalistcontrol and deliberate misinformation. On the other hand, the news is essentially a root ofinformation, consequently we should receive an equal coverage of incidents,like Hurricane Harvey and the Sierra Leone floods, so that one incident is notseen as more significant. It could also be argued that media outlets shouldstay neutral in political campaigns like the EU referendum, as it is very easyto misinform and mislead readers. However, the instal of misinformation can beoversimplified, as seen in the Marxist theory. People are not passive andcritically challenge the news and even play an active role in providing thenews, as social media has devoted everyone the freedom to transmit information.The different perspectives, as a result, diminish the effect of fake news andallow us to assemble narratives and interpretations for ourselves.Consequently, there can only be an illusion of truth if we allow there to be.ReferencesBBC News. (2017).Sierra Leone mudslides killhundreds. online Available athttp//www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-40926187 Accessed 6 Nov. 2017.Brennen, B. (2017). Making maven of Lies, DeceptivePropaganda, and Fake News.Journal of Media Ethics, 32(3),pp.179-181.Curran, J. and Seaton, J. (2010).Power withoutresponsibility. London Routledge.Festin ger, L. (1962).A theory of cognitivedissonance. California Stanford University Press.Fuchs, C. (2014).Digital labour and Karl Marx.1st ed. 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(2017).News values OwenSpencer-Thomas. online Available at http//www.owenspencer-thomas.com/journalism/newsvalues/Accessed 6 Nov. 2017.The Guardian. (2017).Brexit camp abandons350m-a-week NHS supporting pledge. online Available athttps//www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/sep/10/brexit-camp-abandons-350-million-pound-nhs-pledgeAccessed 10 Sep. 2016.Williams, A. and Tapscott, D. (2014).Wikinomics.New York Portfolio, p.3.