The Mass Media is a Tool of Deception

First of all I would like to apologize for taking so long to reply. I really appreciate your constructiveness because indeed the premises need to be challenged. Premise 1: I would argue that the current hierarchy depends on irrational or at least ill-informed citizens because the 'current elite' dictates policies in their interest which are "sharply disconnected" from "public opinion on policy" (Chomsky, 2017). Therefore, To avoid public backlash (e. G. Occupy movement, Yellow vest protests) people must be ill-informed about policy. If citizens were to become more rational and informed, They would ensure policies that benefit them are being implemented, Rather than policies that benefit the 'current elite'. The Media's interest in this is simply that they are part of the 'current elite' and participate in ensuring their self-interest which is, As you rightly stated, Ensuring profit. Premise 2: The idea that 'the media just tells people what they want to hear' is not improbable, As it is one of the four "theories of the mass media" laid out by Heywood (2013). According to him the "Market model" is the idea that the media wants to "reflect rather than shape the views of the general public. " However, This theory completely ignores political interests of media companies which I believe is a flawed approach. The 'Dominant-Ideology model" and the "Elite-value model" to me sounded more convincing and I would definitely suggest you to check them out. At the end of the day it comes down to which one appears more convincing to you. I will grant you that even if the premises turn out to be true they do not necessarily lead to the conclusion. This was my first debate and I thought a deductive argument would keep it most simply and would be the easiest way to start. I will however not hesitate to provide you with examples of my personal perception of the media's bias and homogeneity. The first example that I would like to point to is the example of war/military intervention. Within the United States media it is shockingly rare to find examples of reporting that position themselves contrary to the government's position regarding the use of force. It is always encouraged, And almost never challenged. The arguments for this are often directly taken from the government (i. E. There is a humanitarian problem, Therefore, We have to intervene militarily to help those poor people). The fact that no intervention has been legally ratified by the international community and that every intervention has done more harm than good and effectively destroyed the region find no place in the media. To give specific examples (I try to keep it short): The invasion of Iraq in 2003 was justified by lies (hussein's conncetion to al-qaida, Possession of WMDs) that the government put out, And encouraged by the media that kept on repeating those lies up to the point that more than 80% of soldiers believed their role was to punish hussein for his involvement in 9/11. The media, Which to give them the benefit of the doubt might not have known the government was lying, Did not challenge the narrative, But pushed and encouraged it. To create uninformed citizens who will make the irrational choice to go to war with a country that did not attack the US, Nor was trying or planning to. The result of this, Namely the destruction of the region and the prosperity of terror groups might be reported afterwards, But with a new war, There comes new 'deception' as the examples of Libya and Syria show. I understand this might be a lot of information which most probably is insufficient in supporting my claim as it could be completely disconnected. And I will come back to you talking about 'influence' rather than 'control', However, Given the example, 'influence' would mean that there is some or even great reporting on the lies, Rather than a complete cooptation of the apparatus. As stated before I really appreciate your engagement and I would like you to give me one or two book suggestions that I can have a look at. If you want to get a little more into the United States' media and how they operate I would definitely suggest for you to read 'Manufacturing Consent' by Noam Chomsky, A man whose intellect I appreciate highly. Thank you very much in advance it was a pleasure!