Final Thoughts: Is the Capitalist Media Behind the Rise of the Far-Right?

Numerous institutions produce propaganda and ideology to shape society and maintain power. Mass media is the primary way of communicating generally acceptable ideas. The press presents “radical” alternatives that seem to challenge neoliberal globalization or at least question certain aspects of it, like uncontrolled corporate power and increasing poverty. However, these alternatives frequently align with far-right ideologies that impede genuine class struggle, favoring the dominant social class. Conversely, it curtails discussions involving even some of the most tepid reformist social and economic policies. So, anything that slightly questions market orthodoxy appears extreme. Today, crucial societal issues like universal healthcare, free education, public housing, and public control of the means of production are being sidelined by conversations focused on identity politics and multiculturalism. By rejecting progressive ideas and attacking socialist policies, the mass media contributes to the erosion of liberal democracy and reveals authoritarian tendencies, thus facilitating fascism.