Here's the quote again, more fully, Ctrl-C'd from Wikiquote, in turn from a book called Propaganda:

In almost every act of our lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons [...] who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires that control the public mind, who harness old social forces and contrive new ways to bind and guide the world.

I think this has everything to do with @skypal's story, showing both how this is possible, and how the audience willingly become dupes, in return for entertainment.