Is it Either Or? Professional Ideology vs. Corporate-media Constraints

Abstract

The article critically assesses Herman and Chomsky’s Propaganda Model and its third ‘filter’, which highlights the reliance of the media on information provided by governments and corporate institutions. Thereby, the relationship between the journalists’ professional ideology and corporate-media constraints will be discussed. The text also incorporates critiques of the model. First, after a brief introduction of the main features of the Propaganda Model, the relevance of the third ‘filter’ will be indicated by arguing that the concept shares many similarities with the indexing theory. Afterwards, the article considers the third ‘filter’ and its applicability in relation to the British press. In the second part, the emergence of the professional ideology will be elaborated and linked to corporate control of the media. It will be argued that corporate constraints are the dominant determinants of media performance. Although professionalism allows for journalistic independence, it is a flexible construct that can be shaped by the demands of those who own, control and fund the media.