How does mass media and social control relate?

Mass media in North America has gone from reporting the news to sometimes creating it. As more and more people have less and less time,they depend on the medial to help them decide who to vote for, how to dress, what car to buy, how well they are doing etc. and the media, owned by a select few, can take advantage of this by shaping opinion. An example of this is what happened after 911. Of course it was a horrible occurrence and security is important, but political pull with the mass media began a campaign of distrust and suggested that anyone who questioned the state's action in any way, was anti-American. As a result, rights we took as normal were suddenly lost, fear took over our lives and whether we admit it or not, the terrorists won in that North American society changed and social control became paramount.