According to Herman and Chomsky, the US media fail in these respects. In fact, they consider the US media a propaganda system. They compare the system to the propaganda systems of totalitarian states and observe that,
“It is much more difficult to see a propaganda system at work where the media are private and formal censorship is absent. This is especially true when the media actively compete, periodically attack and expose corporate and governmental malfeasance, and aggressively portray themselves as spokesmen for free speech and the general community interest.”
They continue by claiming that,
“What is not evident (and remains undiscussed in the media) is the limited nature of such critiques.”