Encore The Alchemist & His Apprentice - Stagecraft of Media Manipulation Wednesday, August 10, 2022

The Alchemist and His Apprentice -The Stagecraft of Mass Media Manipulation In this episode we focus on how the media is manipulated and controlled by governments, corporations and interest groups to further their respective causes. Media manipulation has been used since the early 20 Century in many war theatres by employing sophisticated techniques such as propaganda and perception management. In the modern context, propaganda is used to persuade the public of the merits of a particular course of action. For instance, in the case of questionable wars such as Iraq and Afghanistan, PR firms manipulated the media using standard techniques such as spreading disinformation in order to shape public opinion. We focus on the use of media as a tool of propaganda in the aftermath of the events of 9/11 and the during the second gulf war in Iraq. To this end the media is an essential conduit of information which, when used correctly, represents one of the most powerful weapons the government possesses at its disposal. By communicating messages to the wider population, the media’s role is to imbue individuals with the patterns of behaviour to absorb them into the institutional structures of wider society. The emphasis on message control reflects the intertwining of journalism with the political order, creating an alliance between state-craft and stage-craft. Hence mass media clearly has a pervasive influence on contemporary society. We ask; Why is there is a lack of a critical depth in mainstream media? Or indeed why alternative views are rarely aired (unless there is a motive to ridicule them). Essentially because, media manipulation is related to wealth and power and the dominant elites use television networks and news journalism to maintain their hegemonic position in society. Finally we examine a manipulation technique, referred to by British author and researcher David Icke, as Problem – Reaction – Solution (PRS). Also known as order out of chaos it stems from the philosophical approach of Hegel's Dialectic consisting of an interchange of three stages of development. It involves going from Thesis to Antithesis reverting back again to Synthesis. We provide real life examples where this technique has been used throughout History, resulting in actions or legislation that would never have passed under normal circumstances, based on fear, chaos and disorder. Using this approach we draw parallels with the present Coronavirus, COVID-19 crisis, which appears to invoke the familiar blueprint of the PRS model.