Public opinion
by Walter Lippmann · first published 1922
53% recommend47% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Foundational analysis of how the press and propaganda shape what people believe. It examines stereotypes, the selection of facts, and media influence, offering a starting point for understanding public opinion.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"Written by one of the most influential men of his times and one of the greatest journalists in history, Public Opinion is an incisive examination of democratic theory, the role of citizens in a democracy, and the impact of the media in shaping thoughts and actions. It changed the nature of political science as a scholarly discipline and introduced concepts that continue to play an important role in current political theory."--BOOK JACKET.
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…highlighting the influence of advertising on media. It's short, readable, fact-filled, and available at the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/commercialismjou00holtuoft Walter Lippmann's Public Opinion (1922) largely established the model for the "impartial press" (so called, only partially successful as such) during the bulk of the 20th century. It was based in significant part on Lippmann's own experience…
on “The Push for a “PBS for the Internet”” ↗I really loved and got a lot from his early books like Liberty and the News–about how democracy needs good journalism–and Public Opinion–about how public opinion was manipulated in WW1, and many other things. I've read it many times, one of my favourites. A Preface to Morals was the first Lippmann book I read, decades ago, and have read…
on “The Basic Problem of Democracy (1919)” ↗…media. Propaganda is the subtle knife of social control, and it is ubiquitous in the world. A way of seeing through the propaganda is what I would call realism-based-education. By that I mean reading "Public Opinion" by Walter Lippmann, "Manufacturing Consent" by Chomsky, and "Propaganda" by Edward Bernays, to start. Reading "The Prince" by Machiavelli would also be a good companion to these, though its focus is…
on “The new authoritarianism” ↗> Both exist. Yes, censorship and propaganda go hand in hand. In 1922 Walter Lippmann wrote in his seminal work, Public Opinion, > Without some form of censorship, propaganda in the strict sense of the word is impossible. In order to conduct a propaganda there must be some barrier between the public and the event. [1] [2] [1]…
on “Facebook Censored Me For Mentioning Open-Source Social Network Mastodon” ↗…I think, is that given by Betteridge's Law[1] — No. But it depends. [0] A couple of very readable and more-relevant-than-ever classics on this theme: Michels' Political Parties (1911) and Lippmann's Public Opinion (1922). [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge%27s_law_of_headline...
on “Has liberalism failed?” ↗…Hofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach - read it when I was 14, and I was into music, art and programming, so it blew my mind. Susan Faludi, STIFFED - men, work, jobs, masculinity, 20th C Walter Lippmann, Public Opinion - media, war, propaganda, democracy Noam Chomsky's political books E.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful - the world, development, government, planning, organization, humanity, sustainability J.R. Saul,…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?” ↗Have you read Walter Lippmann's Public Opinion (1922) - well worth reading and rereading. The theme of it in a way is "that people do not know objective truth, and can be fooled by propaganda" It's about things he observed in WWI, the role of the…
on “The AI Threat to Open Societies” ↗Public Opinion by Walter Lippmann, written 100 years ago but honestly just as applicable today. Libre Vox even has a free version up on YouTube[1]. Chomsky actually took the title of his book from Lippmann's, but Lippmann's…
on “Trust in newspapers and television news collapses to historic low” ↗…not as a vehicle for delivering news to the public, but as a vehicle for delivering the public to advertisers. This had made many people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move. F: Read Public Opinion by Walter Lippmann. Read Manufacturing Consent by Ed Herman and Noam Chomsky. Oh hell, here's a "short reading list": https://old.reddit.com/r/dredmorbius/comments/7k7l4m/media_a... G: For decades,…
on “Why won’t some people pay for news?” ↗I just finished Lippmann’s 1922 classic Public Opinion. In it he argues that different people may draw completely different conclusions from the same facts due to three things: 1. Sampling. There’s a big universe of facts, and each media outlet reports on…
on “U.S. Capitol Locked Down Amid Escalating Protests” ↗…correctly point out their mistake. If a third-party observer tries to point out a mistake, people will usually cast them as the enemy and accuse them of spreading falsehoods. Walter Lippmann's excellent Public Opinion points out how it's difficult for people to be both interested in a topic and neutral. This excerpt touches on the issue: > "It has been said" writes Walter Bagehot, [Footnote: On the Emotion of Conviction,…
on “Users post more falsehoods after others correct them: study” ↗Metaphors We Live By - Lakoff/Johnson Philosophy in the Flesh - L/J Rationalism in Politics - Oakeshott Erving Goffman – Presentation of Self in Everyday Life Walter Lippmann – Public Opinion Art as Experience - John Dewey Plutarch's Lives G.K. Chesterton – Heretics (essay) William James - On A Certain Blindness in Human Beings (and its sequel) (essay) R.L. Stevenson - The Lantern-Bearers
on “Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?” ↗Propaganda by Ed Bernays and Public Opinion by Walter Lippmann are two great books on the subject, as well.
on “My Life as a New York Times Reporter in the Shadow of the War on Terror (2018)” ↗Also these three books are interesting: Lippmann - Public Opinion Bernays - The Engineering of Consent Chomsky - Manufacturing Consent
on “The godfather of fake news (2018)” ↗…have tremendous power and shape society. Why do you think someone like Bezos was so interested in buying WaPo? To anyone who fails to appreciate the power of journalism, start with Walter Lippmann's Public Opinion.
on ““Great resignation” wave coming for companies” ↗