Propaganda model of the media in New Zealand

Abstract

The Propaganda Model of the Media in New Zealand argues that the New Zealand media act in a way that is compatible with the propaganda model discussed by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky. The five filters discussed by Herman and Chomsky (1. Size, concentrated ownership, owner wealth, and profit orientation of the dominant mass-media firms, 2. Advertising as the primary income source of the mass media, 3. The reliance of the media on official and 'authoritative' sources, 4. 'flak' as a means of disciplining the media, and 5. Anticommunism as a national ideology) are discussed using New Zealand evidence and sources. The 1993 electoral referendum and the 1991 Gulf War are discussed as case studies. Actions of the New Zealand media are found to be not substantially different from those of their American counterparts. It is argued that the New Zealand media support a dominant, elite ideology and ignore or mute critics of that ideology.