Propaganda

1
Propaganda

• Prof. Philip M. Taylor,
• Institute of Communications Studies,
• University of Leeds, UK
• www.leeds.ac.uk/ics/pmt

2
Lets start with the (pre-) conceptions

• Propaganda is about lying or, at best,
  half-truths
• It is about playing to emotions rather than
  reason
• It is a dirty trick designed to get people to
  do something they might not otherwise have done
• It is only done by them i.e. dictators who fear
  public opinion we tell the truth
• It is only done in wartime by democracies
• It is an abuse of communications processes

3
What it really is

• It is a process of communications/persuasion
  between sender and recipient
• As such, it is value-neutral
• It depends for its success upon credibility
• It lies on the spectrum of communication of who
  says what, when, how and with what effect.
• To distinguish it from other forms of
  communication, it needs to add why
• Therefore the question of intent is critical

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Why is intent so important?

• Because what distinguishes it from other forms of
  communication/persuasion is that it is designed
  to benefit the source more than the recipient
• Hence value-judgments need to be applied to the
  motives of the source
• To talk of good or bad propaganda is
  meaningless without this
• Then there is effective and ineffective
  propaganda in terms of whether the intention is
  translated into desired thought and/or behaviour

5
Different types of propaganda

• Black (or covert)
• White (or overt)
• Grey (unknown source)
• Cohesive propaganda
• Divisive propaganda
• The P word publicity, public relations,
  psychological operations, public diplomacy,
  perception management

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Domestic or foreign

• Home propaganda usually plays out under
  information policy we tell the truth to our
  people, they tell lies about us
• International propaganda is it an interference
  with the internal affairs of other nations?
• Censorship and propaganda have been traditional
  handmaidens but is this possible any more in
  the information age
• Blurring or domestic and foreign within the
  context of globalisation

7
Main propaganda theorists/practices

• Vatican invented the word!
• Propagation of cultures/germination of seeds
• The authoritarian model (Mussolini, Soviet Union,
  Nazi Germany)
• The democratic response (Strategy of Truth)
• Lippmann, Bernays, Hitler, Ellul

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Main historical campaigns

• the campaign against American neutrality,
  1914-17
• we were hypnotised as a rabbit is by a snake,
  1918
• workers of the world unite
• the free world vs. the slave world, 1939
  onwards, 1945 onwards
• Free market liberal democratic capitalism vs.
  communism and now rogue states/axis of
  evil/the global war on terrorism

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PROPAGANDA NATO DEFINITION
ANY INFORMATION, IDEAS, DOCTRINES OR SPECIAL
APPEALS, DISSEMINATED TO INFLUENCE THE OPINIONS,
EMOTIONS, ATTITUDES OR BEHAVIOUR OF ANY SPECIFIED
GROUP IN ORDER TO BENEFIT THE SPONSOR, EITHER
DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY
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COHESIVE PROPAGANDA

• CREATE GOODWILL
• PROMOTE FRIENDSHIP
• RAISE MORALE
• STRESS COMMON INTERESTS
• GAIN CO-OPERATION

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DIVISIVE PROPAGANDA

• LOWER MORALE
• CREATE APATHY, DEFEATISM DISCORD
• PROMOTE DISSENTION, PANIC SUBVERSION, RESISTANCE,
  DESERTION, SURRENDER DEFECTION

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PROPAGANDA PRINCIPLES

• IS MOST EFFECTIVE WHEN
• IT IS BASED UPON CREDIBLE TRUTH
• PRESENTED IN AN ATTRACTIVE FORM
• IT AROUSES A NEED
• IT SUGGESTS SATISFACTION

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PROPAGANDA VARIANTS

• PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE/OPERATIONS
• PUBLIC RELATIONS/SPIN DOCTORING
• ADVERTISING/MARKETING (?)
• PUBLICITY
• NEWS? (the shocktroops of propaganda)

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LESSONS LEARNED -ADDITIONAL PRINCIPLES

• REFRAIN FROM RIGID DOGMATISM
• AVOID ANTAGONISM
• IDENTIFIES ITSELF WITH THE TARGET
• EXPLOITS, WHEN OPPORTUNE, WEAKNESSES IN HOSTILE
  PROPAGANDA TO THE MAXIMUM