Saturday, December 03, 2005

Is propaganda a bad thing?

According to my ancient Webster's propaganda is any organization or movement for the propagation of certain ideas, doctrines, etc.

So is it propaganda for the US Military to pay Iraqi newspapers to publish certain stories, if the stories are real? Congress will investigate this issue.

Will they investigate CNN lying to the American people about Saddam's regime to keep access as Eason Jordan said?

Will they investigate exactly how it came to be that CBS got the Abu Ghraib pictures and set about to deliberately disgrace the American military in an effort to damage George Bush?

Will they investigate CIA leaks which some say constitute the attempt on the part of unelected officials at the CIA to damage an elected government and to use the media to aid them in that mission?

Will they investigate the symbiotic relationship between the press and the terrorists?

It is getting harder and harder to tell the difference between minstream media and AlJazeera.

In other words why is it considered propaganda for the American military in Iraq to state facts, but not propaganda when powerful forces try to use the media to distort the truth?

Maybe the investigations Congress need to do are not just about gambling casinos and campaign financing and oil companies making money off the law of supply and demand...maybe they should be looking at the Fourth Estate a little closer.

I know I smell a rat.

update: Betsy has an interesting post on propaganda past and present

1 comment:

Syl said...

Amen, Terrye!

Propaganda is simply telling only one side of the story. It does not mean lies.

The MSM comes close to lying.

I smacked the table with my fist the other night when Colmes said this is behavior would lower us in the eyes of our enemies and other nations around the world.

No, screaming about Abu Ghraib and torture and demands of immediate withdrawal do that.

I saw an Arab-American woman on TV the other day who said the Arab world thinks we're all wusses.

War is NOT about being nice fer pity's sake.