Nature of Propaganda

A message that is intended primarily to serve the interests of the messenger—this is the basic definition of propaganda. It may also be defined as the spreading of information in order to influence public opinion and to manipulate other people's beliefs. Information can be delivered in many ways. Schoolteachers try to giveaccurate information to their students, and television news broadcasts attempt to provide it for their audiences. What separates propaganda from these is the quality of the information and the way it is used.

All propaganda is a systematic effort to persuade. Thus the issue is not the truth or falsehood of what is said. The propagandist gives a one-sided message, emphasizing the good points of one position and the bad points of another position. One of the mostwidely used forms of propaganda in the 20th century is the politica l speech. Politicians running for office try to project the best possible image of themselves while pointing out all the flaws of their opponents. Propaganda uses the media of mass communication—radio, television, newspapers, and magazines—to reach a mass audience. Such an audience cannot argue back; it can simply show approval or disapproval. If the propaganda were given to only one person, that individual could disagree and present other views. The same is true of small groups. The propagandist is not interested in a reasoned response but only in making converts to a point of view. Propaganda as an art of persuasion has been used for thousands of years. In the 5th century BC, when Pericles addressed his fellow Athenians on the merits of their city compared to the tyranny of Sparta, he was making propaganda—though there was a great deal of truth in his remarks. Many centuries later, when Thomas Jefferson and others wrote the Declaration of Independence, one of their main purposes was propaganda. The reasons for which the American colonies broke with Great Britain were put into writing because “a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” As a term, propaganda came into use early in the 17th century. It is derived from an organization set up within the Roman Catholic Church in 1622—the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. This is a missionary association whose name in Latin is Congregatio de Propaganda Fide. Propaganda can be compared to other attempts to persuade large audiences. Among them are advertising, public relations, preaching, and teaching. The first two are forms of paid publicity. Advertising is designed to sell products, services, and entertainments. The task of public relations is to create for the public an image of an individual or institution. The image is not necessarily false, but one that omits all flaws and faults. Many business firms have a public relations department with the full-time job of creating a favorable image of the company in the eyes of the public. Political candidates hire public relations firms to create an image of themselves that will appeal to a majority of voters. Preaching—religious messages delivered in a sermon— is normally viewed as propaganda by nonbelievers and as truth by believers. Teaching may become propaganda if it turns into indoctrination. Religious schools often teach doctrines and traditions. Government Propaganda Governments have always been the chief dealers in propaganda because they at all times require the support of their subjects or citizens. This is especially true in times of war, when governments want expressions of patriotism, self-sacrifice, and solidarity. The oldest surviving studies of propaganda by governments are manuals on state security in time of danger. They generally suggest that propaganda be aimed in two directions—at citizens and at the enemy. The citizens must be persuaded that their cause is right and that they are capable of defeating the opponent. The enemy is denounced as evil and made to fear the military power of the citizens. Propaganda intended to demoralize and confuse enemy populations or troops is called psychological warfare.

4. Answer the following questions:

1) Whose interests does a message serve?

2) What is the main difference between information and propaganda?

3) What do politicians running for office try to demonstrate?

4) Why is the propagandist not interested in a reasoned response?

5) When did propaganda come into use as a term?

6) What can propaganda be compared with?

7) In what situations propaganda is of vital importance?