The final filter discussed is that of flak. Flak, like advertising and ownership, has the power to edit out details from an article before it is printed. An news item such as this one might be edited to avoid flak. For example, editors may have anticipated the negative reaction to the United States' interference and outreach to Indonesia. Concern over terrorism in Indonesia, and the fact that it is a large Muslim nation might create American concern. For this reason, it is possible that the interaction between Rumsfeld and the Indonesian citizen was not to make Rumsfeld look good. Rather, it was to humanize Indonesian people so that Americans could accept them as allies. To reduce reader concern, outcry and complaint, the author may have considered this as a mediating option.

Works Cited

Hermann, Edward, and Noam Chomsky. "A Propaganda Model." Media and Cultural Studies: Key Works. Ed. Meenakshi Gigi...
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