From the
Michael Parenti Political Archive:
How much of what the news media tell us is true, and how does it control our view of the world?
In this passionate, provocative critique of the news media, Michael Parenti examines the subtle but profound ways in which the media influence and manipulate the public’s perception of reality. It attacks the widely held belief that the news media are controlled by liberals and liberal opinion — and clearly depicts the news media as a controlling institution of the American capitalist system, an institution that serves the interests of the rich and powerful while appearing to serve the many.
In this thoroughly revised and updated edition, Parenti dissects news coverage of the most recent world events [prior to 1993] — including the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Gulf War, the U.S. invasion of Panama, and the contra war in Nicaragua — and demonstrates how the media shape public awareness and attitudes through distortion or suppression of specific information. His argument will reeducate and enrage a public that has come to believe in an impartial, free press.
Now in its second edition, this book was the first comprehensive critique of the news media.
Contents
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From Cronkite’s Complaint to Orwell’s Oversight
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“Freedom of the Press Belongs to the Man Who Owns One”
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Who Controls the News?
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Objectivity and Government Manipulation
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The Big Sell
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Giving Labor the Business
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“Liberal” Media, Conservative Bias
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The Media Fights the Red Menace
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Doing the Third World
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For the New World Order
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Propaganda Themes
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Methods of Misrepresentation
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Culture, Control and Resistance
Appendix: A Guide to Alternative Media
About the Author
Michael Parenti received his Ph.D. in political science from Yale University in 1962. He has taught at a number of colleges and universities, in the United States and abroad. His writings have been translated into Portuguese, Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, Turkish, Polish, German, Bangla, and Dutch.
He is the author of fourteen books (see below). His articles have appeared in CovertAction Quarterly; Monthly Review; Prevailing Winds; The Humanist; New Political Science; Nature, Society and Thought; The Nation; Z Magazine; Dollars and Sense and numerous other publications.
He appears on radio and television talk shows to discuss current issues and ideas from his published works. Dr. Parenti’s talks and commentaries are played on radio stations to enthusiastic audiences in the U.S., Canada and abroad.
He lectures on college campuses and before a wide range of audiences across the country. His books are enjoyed by both lay readers and scholars, and have been used extensively in college courses.
Among the many topics he treats are:
- Democracy and Economic Power
- Imperialism and U.S. Interventionism
- Political Bias in the U.S. News Media
- Ideology and History
- Race, Gender, and Class
- The Overthrow of Communism
- Fascism: Past and Present
See also:
Articles & Selections from Published Works of Dr. Parenti http://www.michaelparenti.org/articles.html
A brief, unauthorized history of politically motivated faculty firings at the University of Vermont since 1972
http://www.uvm.edu/~radphil/uvmfirings.htm
Professor Will Miller’s Introduction for Dr. Michael Parenti before an overflow audience on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of his firing by the UVM Trustees.
Books by Michael Parenti
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To Kill a Nation: The Attack on Yugoslavia, 2001; Reveals a decade-long disinformation campaign waged by Western leaders and NATO officials in their pursuit of free-market “reforms”. The political and economic destabilization of Yugoslavia continues today, Parenti shows, as does the forced privatization and Third Worldization of the entire region.
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History as Mystery, 1999; how history is manufactured and distorted by the victors, from early Christianity to today.
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America Besieged,
1998.
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Blackshirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism, 1997.
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Dirty Truths, 1996; selected readings on politics, ideology, media, conspiracy, ethnic life, and class power.
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Against Empire, 1995; critiques U.S. imperialism and the New World Order at home and abroad.
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Democracy for the Few, 1995; now in its sixth edition, a critical study of the U.S. political system.
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Inventing Reality: The Politics of News Media, 1993; now in its second edition, the first comprehensive critique of the news media.
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The Sword and the Dollar: Imperialism, Revolution, and the Arms Race, 1989; an exposé of U.S. cold war history and interventionism in the Third World.
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Make-Believe Media, 1992; the hidden politics of the entertainment media.
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Land of Idols: Political Mythology in America, 1994; challenges many of the deceptions put forth by conservative elites.
- Power and the Powerless, 1978
Reviews
“America’s foremost progressive writer and speaker, Parenti is illuminating, penetrating, and never afraid of the truth.”
— James Petras
SUNY professor and noted author
“Radical in the true sense of the word, [Parenti] digs at the roots which...sustain our public consciousness.”
Los Angeles Times Book Review
Related sites
Media Beat
http://www.fair.org/media-beat/
“Media Beat is the insightful weekly syndicated column on media and politics written by FAIR associate Norman Solomon. It runs in newspapers across the country.
“Utne Reader called Solomon one of ‘the fiercest and most articulate media critics around.’ A Los Angeles Times reviewer wrote: ‘The bold, muckraking tone of these columns offers a welcome respite from the decerebrated discourse that too often passes for contemporary journalism.’”
Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting — FAIR
http://www.fair.org/
“FAIR, the national media watch group, has been offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship since 1986. We work to invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity in the press and by scrutinizing media practices that marginalize public interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints.
“As an anti-censorship organization, we expose neglected news stories and defend working journalists when they are muzzled. As a progressive group, FAIR believes that structural reform is ultimately needed to break up the dominant media conglomerates, establish independent public broadcasting and promote strong non-profit sources of information.”
Related books
The Habits of Highly Deceptive Media:
Decoding Spin and Lies in Mainstream News
by Norman Solomon
Manufacturing Consent:
The Political Economy of the Mass Media
by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky
Corporate Media and the Threat to Democracy
by Robert W. McChesney
Censored 2000:
The Year’s Top 25 Censored Stories
by Peter Phillips & Project Censored
Body of Secrets:
Anatomy of the Ultra-Secret National Security Agency
by James Bamford
In 1962, U.S. military leaders had a top-secret plan for committing terrorist attacks on Americans in Miami and Washington D.C., while blaming Cuba. Codenamed “Operation Northwoods”, the plan was intended to provide the propaganda necessary to create popular support for an invasion of Cuba.
Derailing Democracy:
The America the Media Don’t Want You to See
by David McGowan
Pirates and Emperors, Old and New:
International Terrorism in the Real World
by Noam Chomsky
The Real Terror Network:
Terrorism in Fact and Propaganda
by Edward S. Herman
The Fire This Time:
U.S. War Crimes in the Gulf
by Ramsey Clark
Desert Slaughter:
The Imperialist War Against Iraq
by the Workers League
Western State Terrorism
Alexander George, editor; essays by Noam Chomsky, Edward S. Herman, Gerry O’Sullivan and others
Terrorizing the Neighborhood:
American Foreign Policy in the Post-Cold War Era
by Noam Chomsky
Pressure Drop Press, 1991
The Culture of Terrorism
by Noam Chomsky
What Uncle Sam Really Wants
by Noam Chomsky
The Hidden Persuaders:
What makes us buy, believe – and even vote – the way we do?
by Vance Packard
Deadly Deceits:
My 25 years in the CIA
by Ralph W. McGehee
Toxic Sludge is Good for You!:
Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry
by John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton
The Decline and Fall of the American Empire
by Gore Vidal
Corporate Predators:
The Hunt for Mega-Profits and the Attack on Democracy
by Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman
Rogue State:
A Guide to the World’s Only Superpower
by William Blum
Killing Hope:
U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since WWII
by William Blum
The Beast Reawakens
by Martin A. Lee
Hidden Agenda:
U.S./NATO Takeover of Yugoslavia
by Ramsey Clark, Michael Parenti, Nadja Tesich, Michel Chossudovsky, Slobodan Milosevic, numerous authors
NATO in the Balkans:
Voices of Opposition
by Ramsey Clark, Sean Gervasi, Nadja Tesich, Sara Flounders, Thomas Deichmann, Gary Wilson and Richard Becker
NATO TARGETS
(video)
produced by Gloria La Riva
Against Empire
by Michael Parenti
Apocalypse 1945:
The Destruction of Dresden
by David Irving
Saving Private Power:
The Hidden History of “The Good War”
by Michael Zezima
Market Elections:
How “Democracy” Serves the Rich
by Vince Copeland
A People’s History of the United States:
1492 — Present
by Howard Zinn
Globalize This!
The Battle Against the World Trade Organization and Corporate Rule
edited by Kevin Danaher and Roger Burbach; multiple authors
Lies My Teacher Told Me:
Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong
by James Loewen
Dumbing Us Down:
The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling
by John Taylor Gatto
The American Presidency
by Gore Vidal