The essential ingredients of our propaganda model, or set of news "filters," fall under the following headings: (1) the size, concentrated ownership, owner wealth, and profit orientation of the dominant mass-media firms; (2) advertising as the primary income source of the mass media; (3) the reliance of the media on information provided by government, business, and "experts" funded and approved by these primary sources and agents of power; (4) "flak" as a means of disciplining the media; and (5) "anticommunism" as a national religion and control mechanism.

Structural factors shape news.The propaganda model posits that news coverage is influenced by institutional structures and relationships rather than individual journalistic decisions. Large media corporations, dependent on advertising revenue and official sources, tend to promote viewpoints that align with elite interests.

Filters constrain content.The model identifies five key filters that news must pass through:

These filters systematically shape media content to serve powerful societal interests, often without overt censorship. The model helps explain patterns of coverage that consistently favor elite perspectives while marginalizing dissent.