What arguments did Noam Chomsky make in “The Responsibility of Intellectuals”?

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Noam Chomsky wearing glasses and a dark sweater, looking slightly to the side during an interview. — Noam Chomsky American linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky, 2010.

In his 1967 essay "The Responsibility of Intellectuals," Noam Chomsky argued that members of the intellectual class—specifically academics and journalists—have a moral obligation to provide the public with the truth regarding significant political and social issues.1

Chomsky contended that many intellectuals in positions of power failed this duty during the Vietnam War. He presented evidence that these individuals either deliberately lied or failed to report the truth to conceal the actual aims and consequences of U.S. involvement in the conflict.1

By failing to challenge state and corporate interests, Chomsky argued, these intellectuals function as "commissars" for elite power structures rather than as independent moral agents. He maintained that the responsibility of an intellectual is to bring the truth about matters of human significance to an audience capable of taking action, such as by influencing government policy through democratic processes.1