Editing Propaganda model (section)

== Case examples ==
Following the theoretical exposition of the propaganda model, ''Manufacturing Consent'' contains a large section where the authors seek to test their hypotheses. If the propaganda model is right and the filters do influence media content, a particular form of bias would be expected—one that systematically favors corporate interests.

They also looked at what they perceived as naturally occurring "historical [[control group]]s" where two events, similar in their properties but differing in the expected media attitude towards them, are contrasted using objective measures such as coverage of key events (measured in column inches) or editorials favoring a particular issue (measured in number).

===Coverage of "enemy" countries===
{{quote box|width=30%|align=right|quote=[The polls] show that all of the [[Elections in Nicaragua|opposition parties in Nicaragua]] combined had the support of only 9 percent of the population, but they have 100 percent of [[Stephen Kinzer]].|source=—[[Noam Chomsky]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uiowa.edu/~cyberlaw/lem02/chomsky1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150119230506/http://www.uiowa.edu/~cyberlaw/lem02/chomsky1.html|archive-date=19 January 2015|title=Chomsky, Understanding Power}}</ref>}}

Examples of bias given by the authors include the failure of the media to question the [[legality of the Vietnam War]] while greatly emphasizing the [[Soviet–Afghan War]] as an [[War of aggression|act of aggression]].{{sfn|Herman|Chomsky|2002|p=252}}

Other biases include a propensity to emphasize violent acts such as [[genocide]] more in enemy or unfriendly countries such as [[Kosovo]] while ignoring greater genocide in allied countries such as the [[Indonesian occupation of East Timor]].{{sfn|Herman|Chomsky|2002|p=xx}} This bias is also said to exist in foreign elections, giving favorable media coverage to fraudulent elections in allied countries such as [[El Salvador]] and [[Guatemala]], while unfavorable coverage is given to legitimate elections in enemy countries such as [[Nicaragua]].{{sfn|Herman|Chomsky|2002|p=112}}

[[File:Iraq War Media Sources Opinion Percentage.svg|upright=1.35|thumb|A study found that in the lead up to the Iraq War, most sources were overwhelmingly in favor of the invasion.]]

Chomsky also asserts that the media accurately covered events such as the [[Second Battle of Fallujah|Battle of Fallujah]] but because of an ideological bias, it acted as pro-government propaganda. In describing coverage of raid on Fallujah General Hospital he stated that ''[[The New York Times]]'', "accurately recorded the battle of Fallujah but it was celebrated... it was a celebration of ongoing war crimes".<ref>{{cite news|title=Chomsky: US won't acknowledge Iraq war crimes|author=Saba Hamedy|url=http://dailyfreepress.com/2010/09/19/chomsky-us-wont-acknowledge-iraq-war-crimes/|newspaper=The Daily Free Press|date=19 September 2010|access-date=6 January 2011}}</ref> The article in question was "[https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/08/international/middleeast/08hospital.html Early Target of Offensive Is a Hospital]".

===Scandals of leaks===
The authors point to biases that are based on only reporting scandals which benefit a section of power, while ignoring scandals that hurt the powerless. The biggest example of this was how the US media greatly covered the [[Watergate Scandal]] but ignored the [[COINTELPRO]] exposures. While the Watergate break-in was a political threat to powerful people ([[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]]), COINTELPRO harmed average citizens and went as far as political [[assassination]]. Other examples include coverage of the [[Iran–Contra affair]] by only focusing on people in power such as [[Oliver North]] but omitting coverage of the civilians killed in [[Nicaragua]] as the result of [[Contras#U.S. military and financial assistance|aid to the Contras]].

In a 2010 interview, Chomsky compared media coverage of the [[Afghan War documents leak|Afghan War Diaries]] and lack of media coverage of a study of [[Fallujah during the Iraq War#Health effects|severe health problems in Fallujah]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHfYtvYRgdk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/WHfYtvYRgdk| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=Chomsky on the WikiLeaks' Coverage in the Press|website=[[YouTube]] }}{{cbignore}}</ref> While there was ample coverage of the Afghan War Diaries there was no American coverage of the Fallujah study,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.medialens.org/2010/beyond-hiroshima-the-non-reporting-of-fallujahs-cancer-catastrophe/|title=BEYOND HIROSHIMA - THE NON-REPORTING OF FALLUJAH'S CANCER CATASTROPHE|date=September 7, 2010}}</ref> in which the health situation in Fallujah was described by the British media as "worse than [[Atomic bombing of Hiroshima|Hiroshima]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/toxic-legacy-of-us-assault-on-fallujah-worse-than-hiroshima-2034065.html|title=Toxic legacy of US assault on Fallujah 'worse than Hiroshima'|date=July 24, 2010|website=The Independent}}</ref>