Propaganda Worse In Neoliberal Countries?

I think propaganda in the neoliberal 'west' is very possibly more pervasive than in Russia - a crazy notion to most westerners, I realize!

It seems to me that propaganda in the western mass media is largely a result of our extremely un-equal, corporate, plutocratic system, and our not having governments that hold these powerful interests to account - instead, our governments are corrupted into serving their interests, rather than the interests of the electorate. This system is a result of an ideology of privatization and deregulation - neoliberal capitalism.

The plutocrats and corporations can funnel money into NGO's and ‘think tanks’, that are then relied upon by the media. And by our governments - to advise on domestic and foreign policy. Additionally, they can of course funnel money directly to the media, politicians, political parties, and the government. They also gain influence over the media via advertising - for example, arms contractors advertise on TV news networks, creating a conflict of interest in a time of war, when the arms contractors will inevitably favour war over peace, in the pursuit of perpetual profit for the military-industrial complex. This will inevitably have influence over the network's editorial line, as they seek to not displease their clients.

The ruling elite's ability to manipulate the populace has been made even easier in recent decades, as the mass media has monopolized. The corporate media is now owned by just a handful of rich men - all of whom have vested interests that will, obviously, influence the output. (For example, some have direct vested interests in oil digging in the Middle East). So it is not just a case of powerful interests funding and manipulating the media - they also own it.

Journalists down the chain in these media corporations will insist that they have full control over their output, but as per Noam Chomsky's theory - the Manufacturing Of Consent - it is largely only those who are of a certain pro-status-quo mindset who will gain employment and advance their careers in the corporate media. Those who refuse to go along with the prevailing view on any given issue - particularly on matters of war and peace - often end up cast aside, as they upset the sponsors and hinder profit margins. Profit trumps truth and ethics in the corporate media.

Meanwhile, in Russia - a country outside of the globalist neoliberal Empire - they have a centralized, authoritarian leadership, thus are more easily able to keep powerful interests in check, including their ability to own and manipulate media. This doesn’t mean I think Kremlin-funded media can be trusted either, obviously - state funded media will inevitably be biased towards the interest of the state, to varying degrees depending on how genuinely democratic the government is and how genuinely independent the media organization is.

Nor does it mean that I think there isn’t also corruption in Russia, or that Putin is a saint. But I think the evidence suggests that Putin’s government, comparatively to western governments at least, acts vastly more in the interests of his people. He has overseen a huge economic recovery in Russia, following the chaos of the 1990s, when western and Russian corporations/oligarchs, with help from the US government, looted the country, leading to a huge drop in living standards.

It seems to me that the reason the Russian government is able to act more in the interests of the populace, (and indeed the reason for Putin's huge popularity), and the reason that Russian media is perhaps less susceptible to manipulation by powerful interests, is that they have done the opposite of what we in the west have done - they have taken some of the power AWAY from private hands. Whereas neoliberal reforms in the west handed power TO private hands, leading to vast inequality, the siphoning of money (and power) to the top, and thus worker exploitation, wage stagnation, community upheaval etc; all inevitable results of handing over the country to unaccountable power.

I think the best example that clearly shows where the interests of the neoliberal west lie can be seen in US congressional spending - around 55% of the budget goes on the military ($850 billion). Any rational person will surely see that this is beyond crazy. And this is happening whilst problems with poverty and homelessness etc get worse and worse. But what is most alarming is that most Americans don't seem to see this as absolutely crazy - they seem to just accept it. Why is this? I think largely because the powerful interests that benefit from it also own and fund the corporate media, which can seemingly still propagate much of the populace into believing that black is white; into believing that a system which is killing their country - and the world - is actually a system that will benefit them.  

Thankfully, the internet, particularly social media, is helping people to ‘wake up’ to this craziness, (hence the recent anti-establishment movements). And that, it seems quite clear to me, is why western governments are seeking to ‘manage’ the internet, and ‘regulate’ social media – to quell dissent and reverse this awakening, ensuring that the powerful interests don’t completely lose their ability to control the masses.