Manufactured Consent Power, Media and Thinktanks

25 January 2017

Corporations don't just shape our politics or economics, they also seek to change public opinion to serve their interests. Which corporations play the biggest role in shaping knowledge and news? What do they fund? Who do they represent? What role have they played in the rise of authoritarian populists? This infographic for State of Power 2017 exposes those 'manufacturing consent'.

Publication type: Infograph
Part of series: State of Power 2017

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Donald de Groen and Amy O'Donoghue for their research support

Sources for infographics

Source of media companies: Business Insider; Board interlocks indicates the official affiliations of the company's executive board members and were sourced from crunchbase.com and the relevant media company websites.
Media concentration in the US: New York Times and Future of Music Coalition (FMC). The data on radio is from a FMC report in 2002 but two of the 10 listed (Cumulus and Citadel) merged in 2011.
Digital empires: Leading social networks from Smartinsights.com. Traffic to news website from Parsely.com
Post-truth: Survey of trust by Quinnipiac University; see also Washington Post; how informed media consumers from Business Insider
Google's political web: Check out http://googletransparencyproject.org
Breitbart.com donations from Public Integrity and Washington Post
List compiled using data from Penn University Thinktank Index. Thinktanks revenue, assets and board members from their websites. Board interlocks include not only present affiliations of board members but also past affiliations and career.
Graphic and information on Trump and thinktanks from muckety.com influence of Heritage Foundation from National Review and Monbiot/Guardian

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