Critical Discussions & Evidence on the Ongoing Relevance of the Herman & Chomsky Propaganda Model.
The year 2008 will mark the 20th Anniversary of the publishing of the book Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of Mass Communication (Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky, Pantheon, 1988). In this book, the authors (both of whom will be attending/participa ting in this conference) put forth a model, the Propaganda Model (PM), as a way of understanding the way our mass media system interrelates with our economy, political system, and society in general. Since putting forth their propaganda model, there have been both praise and criticism of this model, and there have also been many changes and technological advances in our entire communication and media landscape. This May 2007 conference and Spring 2008 publication (of an edited scholarly collection inspired by the conference) will, through vigorous debate/discussion and fresh insight, make great strides in critically analyzing (revising/updating) the ongoing relevance of the Herman/Chomsky Propaganda Model as a useful conceptualization for understanding 21st century media and society.