The press today is an army with carefully organized weapons, the journalists its officers, the readers its soldiers. But, as in every army, the soldier obeys blindly, and the war aims and operating plans change without his knowledge. The reader neither knows nor is supposed to know the purposes for which he is used and the role he is to play. There is no more appalling caricature of freedom of thought. Formerly no one was allowed to think freely; now it is permitted, but no one is capable of it any more. Now people want to think only what they are supposed to want to think, and this they consider freedom.

Summary

This quote highlights the control and manipulation that can exist within the media landscape. It suggests that the press operates like an army, where journalists act as officers and readers as soldiers. However, the soldiers (readers) are unaware of the true intentions behind the information they consume and blindly follow, as their role and the changing objectives are kept hidden from them. The quote criticizes the current state of "freedom of thought," questioning whether people truly have the ability to think independently or if they simply conform to predetermined narratives and beliefs imposed by those in power.

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