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The Role of Media 1

Publish Date: March 28, 2007

by Noam Chomsky

The role of the media in contemporary politics forces us to ask what kind of a society we want to live in, and in particular in what sense of democracy do we want this to be a democratic society? Let me begin by counter-posing two different conceptions of democracy.

One conception of democracy has it that a democratic society is one in which the public has the means to participate in some meaningful way in the management of their own affairs and the means of information are open and free. If you look up “democracy” in the dictionary you'll get a definition something like that.

An alternative conception of democracy is that the public must be barred from managing their own affairs and the means of information must be kept narrowly and rigidly controlled. That may sound like an odd conception of democracy, but it's important to understand that it is the prevailing conception.

In fact, it has long been, not just in operation, but even in theory. There's a long history that goes back to the earliest modern democratic revolutions in seventeenth century England which largely expresses this point of view. I'm just going to keep to the modern period and say a few words about how that notion of democracy develops, and why and how the problem of media and disinformation enters within that context.

contemporary: adj. modern, current

in what sense: in what manner, in what way or kind

counter-posing: v. comparing

conceptions: n. ideas, theories

has it: v. says

affairs: n. lives, life issues & activities

means: n. methods, ways

look up: v. search for and find, look for and find

alternative: adj. different

barred from: v. prevented from, stopped from

narrowly: adv. in a careful and tight way, in a small way

rigidly: adv. without flexibility, in a strict & tough way