Product Description

For the first time, The Bewildered Herd contains all that should be known about the media’s orientation of the public mind in democratic societies, why this manipulation takes place, and in which manner. The Bewildered Herd does not only analyse the media’s current functions, forms, interests, and tactics in the modern democratic society but it also traces and discusses the various transformations that this increasingly powerful social actor has gone through.
The case studies used in The Bewildered Herd are both unequal and unique in their nature, depth, and revelations. They compare the media coverage in two of the world’s leading democracies (The United States and France) of some of the world’s most important armed conflicts (The Gulf War, Bosnia, Iraq, Chechnya, The Middle East, Rwanda). It analyses both countries’ national, economic, cultural, and social interests as well as their respective media’s coverage of these conflicts and reveals how public perceptions are affected by this coverage, and how the agendas of both the media and the political establishment are best served by this manipulation of public opinion in democratic societies.
Mechanisms and tactics used in conditioning the public mind and orienting its opinion are extensively revealed and analysed in a manner that is so comprehensive in its approach and in its explanations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #499325 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 602 pages

About the Author
Dr. B.A. Taleb holds a Ph.D. degree in International Relations from the Centre of Diplomatic & Strategic Studies of Paris, an M.A. in International Economic Law & Development from the René Descartes University (Paris V), and an M.A. in Diplomatic Studies. He is currently preparing his second doctorate (International Law).

Customer Reviews

Intoxication of Public Opinion In Democracies Brilliantly Ex
Public opinion rule is one of the pillars of any democracy...The public is supposedly to freely chose its destiny and way of life. This is the ideal .....this is the system we hope we are living in.Unfortunately, the reality is quite different...The fact is that we are made to think we have a free choice but in fact we do not.....our choices are predetermined by an elite and by this elite's interests.. The analysis of this book and its exploration of this thought is quite admirable and is now, more than ever before, more relevant due to the way we, in democracies, are made to thrive for war and due to the false image that we are constantly bombarded with about war. There is no good war or bad war.......there is only one war....an ugly one...but this we " the bewildered herd" do not see.

Interesting Approach
The approach adopted in analysing the effect of media coverage of wars and media driven wars is very interesting. It discusses the issue from almost every possible point of view: social, cultural, economic, and political.Each of these aspects or elements that shape a democratic government's reaction to a foreign war or engagement in it are smartly analysed and their causes ( cultural, economical, social....etc) and effects ( on the media itself and consequently on domestic public opinion) are very well explained and supported.The use of case studies is a plus in this book. It wouldn't have been easy to make the point of "how we can easily be turned into a bewildered herd" without such cases as Iraq, Chechnya, Bosnia....etc. Opposing the United States and France in their national interests and domestic media reaction to these conflicts and others is also quite interesting...I do not think it has been done before.The research is well documented and the author has done his best obviously to include not only points of view that are similar to his but others as well which contradicted them. In this sense, his research is solid from a scientific point of view. The theories advanced in his book on the propaganda behaviour in democracies in "the world's best democracies " ( France & The United States) as the author himself declares are, in this sense, proven without the shadow of a doubt. It is hard for any human to recognize a deficiency in himself ....when at the same time it is natural for us as humans to always accuse others of deficiencies ....enjoy your read.

So Brilliantly and Solidly Supported Arguments and Theories
The Bewildered Herd is one of the most outstandingly brilliant books I have read in my life so far. Its analysis is so deep and yet so comprehensive. I especially enjoyed reading the comparison case between the United States and France concerning their respective national, social, and media interests vis-à-vis international conflicts. To my knowledge, no other book has yet attempted to examine media influence on public opinion during international conflicts in the manner that The Bewildered Herd does.