[Verse 1] Edward Bernays engineered the public mind Turned tobacco into freedom's torch design Called it public relations, propaganda's cousin Mass persuasion wrapped in velvet, not discussion From banana republics to breakfast cigarettes The father of spin taught us how perception gets [Chorus] Five filters catch the news before it flows Ownership, ads, sources, flak, and ideology's rose Manufacturing consent like widgets on a line Truth gets processed, packaged, branded, refined O-A-S-F-I, watch the story bend and die Herman-Chomsky's model shows us how they mystify [Verse 2] Corporate boardrooms own the printing press Advertising dollars determine what gets blessed Official sources feed the hungry deadline beast Independent voices get the smallest feast When stories challenge power, here comes the flak Coordinated pushback puts rebellious news on rack [Chorus] Five filters catch the news before it flows Ownership, ads, sources, flak, and ideology's rose Manufacturing consent like widgets on a line Truth gets processed, packaged, branded, refined O-A-S-F-I, watch the story bend and die Herman-Chomsky's model shows us how they mystify [Bridge] Astroturf campaigns masquerade as grassroots rage Bots and sockpuppets perform upon the digital stage Strategic leaks drop breadcrumbs for the chosen few Social media armies coordinate their crimson hue From telegram to Twitter, same techniques persist Question every narrative, become a skeptic's fist [Verse 3] Anti-communist ideology once ruled the final gate Now different demons serve to agitate and orchestrate The worthy victims get the spotlight and the tears Unworthy ones dissolve like ghosts throughout the years Pattern recognition breaks the spell they weave so tight See the filter system working, hidden from plain sight [Chorus] Five filters catch the news before it flows Ownership, ads, sources, flak, and ideology's rose Manufacturing consent like widgets on a line Truth gets processed, packaged, branded, refined O-A-S-F-I, watch the story bend and die Herman-Chomsky's model shows us how they mystify [Outro] Read between the headlines, trace the money's thread Question who benefits from what goes in your head
← 1 — Robert Shiller's "Narrative Economics" | 3 — The Political Economy of Protest →