Marketing CEO Michael Coudrey called out the billionaire class and media executives for manipulating Americans and ‘shaping public opinion’ at the Heritage Foundation event in Washington DC on Monday.
“Very powerful individuals have recognized that by controlling the flow of information, they can subliminally shape public opinion to advance their personal agenda by presenting material, news or entertainment crafted in a certain way to change the opinion of the receptive viewer,” he said after giving a brief presentation of examples.
“If we don’t begin to dominate media through social media and digital, these unchecked facets of power will continue to exert unnecessary and manipulative power over the minds of our people.” he said.
Coudrey expounded on this media manipulation.
“This is why many billionaires purchase mainstream media outlets, such as Jeff Bezos’ purchase of the Washington Post. This gives them an opportunity to use the full strength and force of their media organization to promote causes that are in their own self-interests, and also an opportunity to vilify their opponents.
More often than not, journalists willingly adapt to the agenda of the owner, giving the owner significant media capital that can be utilized to advance their own monetary and policy interests. This is why you can never really trust these media companies.”
