I read the book decades ago, and even saw the movie. It’s an important work for anyone to read.
But Chomsky would be disappointed that you are putting your trust in the great military complex. The goal of “Manufacturing Consent” was not for us to distrust the media, but to distrust the corporations, military and government officials who are feeding them their information.
Starr was actually getting her info from people who were contradicting what the military officials were saying, from whistleblowers, not those in charge advancing the military’s agenda. Chomsky would be proud of the work Starr performed.