A Concept Paper on Propaganda
Contemporary propagandists often referred to as doctors of spin, are highly criticized for misleading their audiences in order to achieve a specific and desired outcome on behalf of their client. Propagandists and the very notion of propaganda were not always viewed in such a contemptuous manner. In fact, propaganda – which dates back to 1622 when the Roman Catholic Church was attempting to broaden the reach of its religious doctrine – became associated with deception and immorality following the First World War.[1] It is therefore not surprising that much of the contemporary literature on propaganda examines the concept in the context of military operations and training exercises or describes propaganda techniques using traditional war terminology[2].
The objective of this paper is to dissect the concept of propaganda – examining the mediums used for communication, its functions, and its constitutive features – in order to situate the concept of propaganda as a form of mass communication and therefore differentiate it from other forms of mass communication.
What is Propaganda?
Propaganda is a form of mass communication, in that the target audience of propaganda is usually a large segment of a specified population – which can be defined in any singular or combination of global, national, or local terms.[3] Propaganda may be communicated to both its target and non-target audience via various mediums including traditional print, radio, film and broadcast media, new media such as computer and video games, the Internet, email, and wireless communication devices, as well as through interpersonal forms of communication including word of mouth (WOM) communication and telephone outreach programs.[4]
The definition and purpose of propaganda are not as easily identifiable as the mediums through which it is communicated. Much of the literature on propaganda examines the concept as either a tool of persuasion or as a tool for the dissemination of information – both of which are examined in further detail in the paper.
Click here to read the full paper
[1] Leo C. Rosten. “Movies and Propaganda,” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 254 (1947), 118; as well as John Corner “Mediated politics, promotional culture, and the idea of ‘propaganda,’” Media, Culture & Society, Vol. 29, No. 4 (2007), 670.
[2] For a discussion of propaganda in the context of military operations or training exercises see, for example, Mark Wolfgram. “Democracy and Propaganda: NATO’s War in Kosovo,” European Journal of Communication, Vol. 23, No. 2 (2008), 153-171; Rune Ottosen. “The Military-Industrial Complex Revisited: Computer Games as War Propaganda,” Television & New Media, Vol 10, No.1 (January 2009), 122-125; as well as Stig A. Nohrstedt et al. “From the Persian Gulf to Kosovo – War Journalism and Propaganda,” European Journal of Communication, Vol. 15, No.3 (2000), 383-404. For examples of discussions which use traditional war terminology for describing propaganda techniques see, for example, John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton. Toxic Sludge is Good For You! (United Kingdom: Constable & Robinson Ltd., 2004).
[3] For an example of globally-targeted propaganda campaigns, see Dwayne Winseck, “Information Operations ‘Blowback,’” The International Communication Gazette, Vol. 70, No. 6 (2008), 419-441; for an example of nationally-targeted propaganda campaigns, see Nancy Snow and Philip M. Taylor, “The Revival of the Propaganda State,” The International Communication Gazette, Vol. 68, No. 5-6 (2006), 389-407; for an example of a locally-targeted propaganda campaign, see Mark Lowes, “Selling the Spectacle,” Indy Dreams and Urban Nightmares (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2002), 58-91.
[4] For an account arguing that propaganda occurs only when group dynamics are involved, and therefore does not apply to newspaper, books, magazines, or radio which are consumed on an individual basis, see Rosten, “Movies and Propaganda,”116-124.