Abstract

This paper examines how capitalist governments co-opt mass media to manufacture political consent, blend state and market power to shape news narratives, and thereby influence public opinion and democratic processes. Drawing on the political-economy framework of Manufacturing Consent, media-ownership analyses, regulatory and doctrinal sources, and recent case studies (with particular focus on India), the paper describes the mechanisms of capture ownership concentration, advertising/state revenue dependence, regulatory pressure, legal coercion, and platform manipulation and documents the socio-legal consequences: erosion of deliberative democracy, targeted marginalization of minorities, normalization of disinformation, and weakened institutional checks. The final sections evaluate existing legal tools and propose regulatory, institutional, and civil-society reforms to restore pluralism and the media’s watchdog function. All authorities are cited in 19th edition Bluebook format.

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