If you wanted to take a good example of someone who understood the impact a television network can have on people's minds and opinions, you wouldn't need look further than media mogul Rupert Murdoch. . Very early in his life, Murdoch recognized the valuable opportunity he possessed to influence public opinion on political issues. And if you are Rupert Murdoch and you control a very effective and powerful communications channel, like the most widely read British tabloid or the most watched American news network, how can you effectively persuade others? And what obstacles might a propagandist face in this process? The answer to these questions may be simpler than most people would imagine. The calculated first step in any attempted media persuasion campaign is to designate a time slot. This time must be optimal and must reach the target audience at the right time. Once you are sure that an intellectual, or at least extremely receptive, audience will listen, you present a compelling topic that allows for two-way discussion. The topic (let's use health care reform for this example) is presented unfavorably. First, allow the arguments against it to appear stronger and more legitimate. The news organization opposed to an administration's agenda explains to its viewers, through surrogate columnists, or experts in today's terminology, how health care reform is a gross expansion of the responsibilities of the government, how it will lead to death panels that will harm your family and how much it will cost in lives and fortune. Overly patriotic words like "freedom" and "freedom" flashed across your TV screen in the middle of a paper... is too clear to ignore. With the preponderance of information available on the Internet, accurate news reporting is literally seconds away from decoding rumors and explaining the real facts without as much bias as what you'll see on cable news. While we still depend on cable news for visual images and constant information analysis, we have determined in our heads which channel is left, right, or which attempts to straddle the gray area of ​​political moderates. Unfortunately for the avid, siled viewer, these media channels are the bedrock of truth they need to pursue their affiliations, political beliefs, and moral convictions without worrying about having to change their mind - about anything. Works Cited Jowett, Garth and Victoria O'Donnell. Propaganda and persuasion. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2006. Print.