Manufacturing Consent - What is covered by the news and how? Where do the conventions of balance and objectivity come from? How do they function within the news discourse?

I must first share that as hard as I tried to get into Mr. Noam Chomsky's view of news and the media, listening to his views was remotely painful.  He seemed to say the same thing over and over again in an attempt to be saying something different.  Maybe, intellectually we are not on the same wavelength, but I believe I understood the message he conveying.


I think that his viewpoints brought to mind that all mass communication is subjective and that the only balance put in place with the news media, is that of the individuals who are producing the material.


The news format in this nation is speculative, as we as educated individuals must seek out the most accurate of the news that is being told.  Many of us choose one news format over another, mostly I believe, because we agree with the "mostly factual" information they are providing us.  What is actually covered in a 24 hour period within the news mediums in our country, is decided by individuals just as you and I, who think that the story that is unfolding is of significant importance and must be told.  But, from Noam's point of view, there may be other information out there that we may personally feel is of significance, but since the producers don't feel the same way, this information is not communicated. I agree with his foresight regarding this point.  


I also believe that there is a balance put in place between what is aired and what is not.  When a major catastrophe happens, all news media is on it, but when something happens in our own "neck of the woods", not all media is covering the story.  I also believe that objectivity of the stories that are told is subjective to the person providing the information.  Each individual has their own subjective mechanisms in place which have to come into play when deciding what news is to be reported and what is not.