servative opinions from which they can derive their sources. In fact, conservative right wing think tanks, such as the Heritage Foundation, come out on top in studies of most quoted think tanks. American opinion however, is much more liberal than that of the conservative experts. Advertising pressure is another example of a filter. While newspapers earn 75% of their revenue from advertisement, they claim that the advertisers dont influence their stories. Advertisers demand a supportive programming environment. Take for example what happened when Mercury News ran a story on automobile buying that was not in the best interest of automobile dealerships. The dealerships pulled their advertising from the paper. When the paper subsequently ran a story favorable to the dealerships, they resumed their advertising. This amounts to little more than corporate censorship. What is presented to the public by the mass media, and more importantly, how it is presented, plays a large role in the framing of social problems in the United States. When the fact is considered that what is classified as a social problem is closely tied to what is viewed as deviant behavior, the role mass media plays in shaping the mindset of America becomes relevant. The role this power plays in the designation of deviance must be explored. While we may not want to admit it, our image of the world in which we live is primarily formed and directed by the media. It is important to keep in mind that the information on which the public bases its opinion comes largely from sources who seek to protect their own interests rather than those of society. When public opinion is formed from information propagated by self serving institutions, it is easy to understand why almost no attention is given to the subject of institutional deviance or corporate and state malfeasance where the subject of social problems is considered. This is particularly true of the criminal justi...
