Books
Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media
Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky
Contrary to the popular conception of the press as doggedly pursuing unpopular truths, Herman and Chomsky argue that the free-market economics model of media leads to normative and narrow reporting.
Don’t Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate
George Lakoff
Lakoff argues that the success of the Republican Party can be attributed to their ability to control the language of key issues and position themselves in favorable terms to voters. Lakoff recommends ways the progressive movement can regain semantic equity by reframing their core values.
DVDs
The Insider
Blue Lion Entertainment, 1999
This film recounts the chain of events that pitted an ordinary man against the tobacco industry. Corporate America will use all legal means at its disposal to save a billion-dollar-a-year habit.
Fear and Favor in the Newsroom
Northwest Passage Productions, 1997
This documentary shows that ownership of the press by a small elite constricts the free flow of ideas and information upon which our democracy depends.