The Republican Noise Machine is a 2004 book written by David Brock

David Brock

David Brock is an American journalist and author, the founder of the media watchdog group, Media Matters for America, and a Democratic political operative...

 which chronicles the author's opinion of how the American right wing was able to build their media

Mass media

Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...

 infrastructure. The book was the prelude to Brock's launching of his organization Media Matters for America

Media Matters for America

Media Matters for America is a politically progressive media watchdog group which says it is "dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media." Set up as a 501 non-profit organization, MMfA was founded in 2004 by journalist and...

, an organization whose stated mission is "to comprehensively monitor, analyze, and correct conservative misinformation

Misinformation

Misinformation is false or inaccurate information that is spread unintentionally. It is distinguished from disinformation by motive in that misinformation is simply erroneous, while disinformation, in contrast, is intended to mislead....

 in the U.S. media."

Author

David Brock authored The Real Anita Hill

The Real Anita Hill

The Real Anita Hill is a controversial 1993 book written by David Brock that claims to reveal the "true motives" of Anita Hill, who had accused Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment during his 1991 confirmation hearings....

in 1993, and became well liked by other Republicans. He then had a hand in many other political books, including examinations of Bill

Bill Clinton

William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...

 and Hillary Clinton. He himself has disavowed attacks he calls 'smears'. His book Blinded By The Right: The Conscience Of An Ex-Conservative

Blinded by the Right

Blinded by the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative is a 2002 book written by former conservative journalist David Brock detailing his departure from the conservative movement. It is also the story of his coming out as a gay man. In the book, he states that he visited gay bars with Matt...

was a 2002 best-seller.

Summary

Brock details the conservative media strategy subsequent to the time of (Brock hero) Barry Goldwater

Barry Goldwater

Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...

, predicated on corporate funding of think tank

Think tank

A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...

s, such as the Heritage Foundation

Heritage Foundation

The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...

. Brock believes such think tanks serve not only as propagandists

Propaganda

Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....

, but as tutors for industry lobbyists, and a training ground for conservative journalists who are not limited by the standards of objectivity and impartiality emphasized in the conventional news media.

Conservative and Republican strategists "concoct smears, distortions, and outright lies", and then disseminate the product as 'talking points' to right-wing radio and Fox News, which Brock says set a narrative echoed by more mainstream news sources.

Quotes

• "The phenomenon of liberal media bias is in fact a myth. The mainstream media is actually influenced by wealthy benefactors who use it as a front group for the Republican Party."
• "There are actual very few "conservatives" in America. Instead a sizable part of the population has been duped into voting and thinking against its own interests."
• "The right-wing has corrupted the democratic process. With the use of its money and media influence, the right has won elections and legislation that would never have survived had the political process been allowed to remain free and honest."

External links

• Media Matters for America
• Media Matters with Bob McChesney Interview of David Brock (Jan 2, 2005)
• BuzzFlash Interview of David Brock
• David Brock Interview, "All Things Considered," National Public Radio (July 2, 2001)
• Ramesh Ponnuru, "The Real David Brock," National Review (May 10, 2001)
• Hendrik Hertzberg, "Can you forgive him? A right-wing conspirator comes clean," New Yorker (March 11, 2002)
• Timothy Noah "David Brock, Liar: A lifelong habit proves hard to break," Slate (March 27, 2002)
• Christopher Hitchens, "The Real David Brock," The Nation (May 9, 2002)
• David Horowitz, "Believe David Brock at your own risk," Salon (April 17, 2002)
• "Brock, Horowitz and the anti-gay slur." Chad Conway responds to David Horowitz, Salon (April 30, 2002)
• Laura Kipnis, "Brock Attack: The formerly right-wing shark behind Media Matters," Slate (May 18, 2004)
• Liberal Smear Machine