The Politics of Misinformation

The Politics of Misinformation. Murray Edelman. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2001. 139 pp. $44.95 hbk. $16.95 pbk. The image of our political and social system, which shapes our reactions to our government and our society, is based on an illusion. That's according to Murray Edelman in his book The Politics of Misinformation. In this book, Edelman argues that real social change and progress do not occur as often as we think they do. Instead, what occurs is an illusion of political progress and social change presented to us by media, corporate, and political elites. We are willing to accept these illusions because, as Edelman argues, we are willing to "vest power in a small group of people by accepting their right to rule and obeying their laws and orders, even when these are contrary to the interests of the great majority." The implication of accepting what we are told is that true social change; change that "substantially improves conditions for the mass of the population," is rare in our society. And according to Edelman, the reason true social change does not happen is because elites resist any change that would reduce their power, status, and financial resources. After presenting these basic arguments, Edelman attempts to show how our images are developed and maintained through the use of authority, public opinion, institutions, language, and science. In his final chapter, Edelman uses crime as an example to show how elites keep up the appearance that something is being done about crime, when, according to Edelman, the truth is that minorities and the poor suffer because of crime policies and the middle class is pacified by the appearance that something is being done to rid the society of crime. The strength of this book is Edelman's willingness to call into question how our institutions, our beliefs, and our society are based on a valuing of something that is good for elites but not for mass publics and certainly not good for minorities or marginalized groups. Edelman argues that our institutions, particularly our media, are part of this socialization that teaches us not to question why certain people have power and others do not, not to question class biases, not to question behavior by elites or public officials as long as the behavior is done on behalf of the state. Edelman rightly argues that many complex issues are so simplified by media and authorities that the public sees something like cri urinal behavior as primarily a problem of a person's individual behavior and rarely as an issue that might include broader social problems. The public rarely gets information in some broader context or historical framework, which may focus our thinking on a superficial solution to an immediate problem. The best parts of the book are Edelman's careful and astute observations about how we as a public are susceptible to accepting official versions of the truth or reality, when in fact we should become much more aggressive and critical about what we read, hear, or see. And he is accurate in many of his arguments about the groups that have been hurt by some of these portrayals: the poor, the disenfranchised, people without a voice in politics or in business. There are, however, several weaknesses in the book. The placement of the chapters does not always make sense for the reader. …