" Our broadcasts are aimed at making that brain available: i. e . by distracting it, by relaxing it and preparing it between two messages. What we sell to Coca-Cola is time with this available human brain. " Sourcing The third filter concerns the mass medias' need for a continuous flow of information to fill their demand for daily news. In an industrialized economy where consumers demand information on numerous global events unfolding simultaneously, they argue that this task can only be filled by major business and government sectors that have the necessary material resources. This includes mainly The Pentagon and other governmental bodies. Model Based Reasoning Chomsky and Herman then argue that a "symbiotic relationship" arises between the media and parts of government which is sustained by economic necessity and reciprocity of interest. On the one hand, government and news-promoters strive to make it easier for news organizations to buy their services; according to the authors (p. "

" The Bush administration spent $254 million in its first four years on contracts with public relations firms, more than double the amount spent by the Clinton administration. [1] [2] Flak The term "flak" has been used to describe what Chomsky and Herman see as targeted efforts to discredit organizations or individuals who disagree with or cast doubt on the prevailing assumptions which Chomsky and Herman view as favorable to established power (e. g. , "The Establishment"). Unlike the first three "filtering" mechanisms — which are derived from analysis of market mechanisms — flak is characterized by concerted and intentional efforts to manage public information. Flak from the powerful can be either direct or indirect. The direct could include the following hypothetical scenarios: Letters or phone calls from the White House to Dan Rather or William Paley Inqueries from the FCC to major television networks requesting documents used to plan and assemble a program Messages from irate executives representing advertising agencies or corporate sponsors to media officials threatening retaliation if not granted on-air reply time. Top Model The powerful can also work on the media indirectly by: Complaints delivered en masse to their own constituencies (e. g. "