{"id":9813,"date":"2014-06-08T06:57:23","date_gmt":"2014-06-08T10:57:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/propaganda\/"},"modified":"2025-11-08T18:04:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T23:04:29","slug":"propaganda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/propaganda\/","title":{"rendered":"Propaganda"},"content":{"rendered":"

Note to educators: Propaganda did not just occur during WWI and WWII: it is also happening now all around us.[ I highly recommend my colleague Renee Hobbs’ website MIND OVER MEDIA<\/a>] Unfortunately, many young people don’t recognize it. Here is a timely resource that I highly recommend: from PRWatch- their Propaganda website<\/a> with links to current events in the US and the world.<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

NEW :<\/strong>\u00a0 Can your students recognize new forms of propaganda?<\/a>
\nBLOGPOST<\/strong> \u00a0Propaganda Isn’t History-It’s Current Events<\/a><\/p>\n

KEY QUOTES\/DEFINITIONS:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe point of modern propaganda isn\u2019t only to misinform or push an agenda. It is to exhaust your critical thinking, to annihilate truth.\u201d\u00a0 Garry Kasparov (Source<\/a>)
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“Propaganda is not the same as advertising or art. Art today is preoccupied with abstract ideas; advertising tries to get you to buy something. Propaganda,\u00a0on the other hand, is interested in making you believe something. It is the\u00a0stronger societal force; once you start believing in an idea or ideology you\u00a0will buy anything \u2013 metaphorical or literal \u2013 it tries to sell you. Once the public\u00a0was scared into believing Iraq was trying to acquire weapons of mass destruction,\u00a0they didn\u2019t seem to mind that they were being fed lies over and over. Untruths\u00a0and misleading statements were quickly accepted as reinforcement and\u00a0justification for a particular point of view, even when proven false.\u00a0Propaganda is that strong.”\u00a0 (Source, Clamor Magazine<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Propaganda is “a manipulation designed to lead you to a simplistic conclusion rather than a carefully considered one,” adding, “It is an abuse of persuasion techniques because it tries to short-circuit critical scrutiny, thoughtful evaluations and counterarguments.” Dr. Anthony Pratkanis (quoted in New York Times story<\/a>)<\/p>\n

“At its root, propaganda plays on emotions, often defying reason and\u00a0facts in order to reach into the psyche of the audience. Propaganda\u00a0is a mind game \u2014 the skillful propagandist plays with your deepest emotions,\u00a0exploiting your greatest fears and prejudices.” (Source: Op Ed<\/a>, Seattle Times)<\/p>\n

“Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions [thoughts], and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist.” (Source: Propaganda and Persuasion<\/a>, Garth Jowett\/Victoria O’Donnell)<\/p>\n

Propaganda: Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view (Source:\u00a0 Concise Oxford English Dictionary).<\/p>\n

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