Propaganda
Propaganda is the deceitful use of information, such as deliberate lying (including lying by omission). The word has negative connotations since the 19th century, so Edward Bernays coined a new phrase ("public relations") as a connotation free alternative. Since November 2016, the commercially-controlled media have attempted to spread the meme of "fake news" websites, and suggested that they should be censored.
Contents
Origins
Propaganda has been used by war makers for thousands of years.[1] Leaders have long exploited enemy images to inculcate fear or otherwise extend control over subjects. Historically, propaganda has assumed critical importance in times of war, in particular when a casus belli was sought to try to inflame public sentiment when starting a war. Propaganda has been produced on a large scale for around a century - i.e. since the time of WW1. In UK, MI7 was formed to exploit the commercially-controlled media, planting "fake news" to try to rally support against Germany.[2]
Rebranding
Edward Bernays, a widely acknowledged master of propaganda, referred to propaganda as "the invisible government". He rebranded it as "public relations".[3]
Propaganda outfits, (like the British government's Integrity Initiative) often defines the term in such a way that our side automatically only "counters disinformation", while everything the opponent say per definition is propaganda.
Enemy images
- Full article: Enemy images
- Full article: Enemy images
Long running campaigns can be used to create and sustain enemy images that can be used to divide and conquer groups by promoting fear.
Rise in 21st Century
Propaganda in Western Europe seems to have returned to World War Two levels after the roll-back of the state in Europe and the United States. Multinational corporations have taken more and more power, and a complicit commercially-controlled media has become an integral part of that 'power grab' and increasingly ideologically aligned with it. Secrecy has become normal, even with governments no longer seeing themselves as serving the populations that elect and pay for them.
Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012
- Full article:
Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012
- Full article:
The Smith-Mundt Act originally did prohibit the use of propaganda, produced for foreign audiences, to be directed at domestic audiences in the United States. With the passing of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 this was changed; originally justified with the explanation that it would help to inform expat communities in the US.[4] Early criticism cited the Department of Defense intention to get rid of the Smith-Mundt Act and other restrictions, "because it prevents information activities designed to prop up unpopular policies—like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan".[5] Robbie Martin noted that after the ban was lifted, the use of foreign news sources funded by the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) did spike on Vice. He also notes that now many narratives friendly to the US government position first appear at media organizations overseen by the BBG before they become part of mainstream media reporting.[6]
Fake News
- Full article:
“Fake News”
- Full article:
After the 2016 US Presidential Election, in November 2016, the phrase "Fake News" was launched, with the help of commercially-controlled media. Perhaps counter intuitively to Wikispooks' readers, it was not used to describe the output of the corporate media, but instead, used to describe smaller, independent groups, especially websites. One list which has attracted particular attention was a list of 200 websites, including RT, Naked Capitalism, Zero Hedge and Wikispooks. This was published by the spooky ProporNot group, and cited as a source by the Washington Post.
Examples
Page name | Description |
---|---|
"Dancing Nurses" | One of the most peculiar parts of the COVID-19 propaganda effort saw thousands of nurses dancing in choreographed routines - something that blatantly clashed with one of the other PR-messages, the one of "overwhelmed hospitals". |
"Discredited and disproven" | ON affirming phrase. |
"Disinformation" | Disinformation is a word used by those in power to malign opinions and people they don't like, and as a scientific-sounding pretext for censorship. Those in power often use projection when accusing others of spreading disinformation, as the official narratives tends to be full of lies and omissions. Can also be a real thing. |
"Domestic extremism" | An enemy image used to try to justify repression of alternative ideas |
"Fact checking" | A thinly veiled effort to counter suspicion in official narratives as promoted by the commercially-controlled media. i.e. "Trust us, we've fact checked this article". |
"Fake news website" | "Fake news website" is a meme started after the 2016 US election, to disparage websites that dissent from the opinions expressed by commercially-controlled media. It backfired and lead to the phrase "fake news", which promoted scepticism about corporate media and discouraged uncritical belief in their output. |
"Korean War/CIA brainwashing spin" | A word coined by the CIA in an effort to cover-up the US Army's use of biological weapons in the Korean War. |
"Misinformation" | |
"Protect the NHS" | A slogan used in Great Britain to justify government actions around the NHS during COVID-19. |
"Russian Propaganda" | "Russian Propaganda" is much talked about recently by NATO-aligned countries. |
1981 Libyan hit squad scare | An imaginary "hit squad of terrorists" sent to Washington by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to assassinate President Reagan |
2008 Counter-Terrorism advertising campaign | A UK government program to ramp up fear of "terrorism" that was banned after public complaints. |
2016 Brussels Bombing/Media manipulation | False Belgian media reporting on the Mass murder in Brussels |
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine/War Crimes | A list of War crimes and propaganda in this event. |
9-11/Commission/Report | An official narrative crafted to deceive the ignorant, which highlights the roles of Al Qaeda and the 19 hijackers. |
Advertising | Used by corporations to try to increase or create people's desire to purchase their products |
Ambassador News Service | Alleged propaganda operation said to be affiliated with Brian Crozier and Peter Janke, both of the intelligence affiliated Institute for the Study of Conflict. |
Astroturfing | Rolling out of fake grassroots movements |
BBC/Propaganda | The BBC has been a tool of the UK deep state since its foundation in 1922. |
Black propaganda | Type of propaganda misrepresented to be written by the enemy, often to discredit him. |
Brainwashing | |
British Briefing | |
British Information Services | The New York based information department of the British Consulate in New York |
British Satellite News | A semi covert propaganda operation funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office |
CENTCOM/Media outreach | |
Casus belli | A pretext for war, typically a false flag attack |
Central Office of Information | The main UK government body dealing with official advertising and publicity |
Committee on Public Information | Committee to boost US public support for World War I. |
Controlling the narrative | |
Corporate media | The corporate media refers to itself as 'mainstream' in an effort to marginalize so-called "alternative" media. While some instances (e.g. BBC) are not strictly commercial, all the corporate media is hierarchically structured, so a very small number of editors can censor or modify its output. |
Defence Online Engagement Strategy | |
Distraction | The creation of attention-grabbing events to draw attention away from matters of importance |
Document:Is Fukushima's nuclear nightmare over? Don’t count on it | Update on the developing Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear disaster and a good illustration of BBC use of "Experts" to present and give credibility to outrageous falsehoods in support of the "nothing to see here" propaganda of the nuclear industry. |
Document:Leaked Karl Rove email | |
Document:Ukrainian soldiers' organs traded | An apparent hoax about hacked correspondence between Donbass Battalion commander, Yulia Tymoshenko's lawyer and a German medical practitioner evidencing a burgeoning trade in the organs of Ukrainian soldiers |
Dodgy Dossier | A concoction of lies which successfully eased the UK public's reluctance to enter the Iraq War - notwithstanding its exposure as lied by David Kelly. |
Doublespeak | |
EXPOSE Network | A proposed multi-million pound consortium to "counter disinformation". Exposed in the 7th tranche of documents in the Integrity Initiative leak. The UK government declined to fund it. |
East StratCom Task Force | The EU's cold warriors 2.0 |
Epik data breach | Data breach in September 2021. Is Anonymous doing the job of the FBI for them because the facts aren't adding up. |
File:Carter-Ruck Syria Report.pdf | A text-book example of the how and why of demonising one's enemies. A widely reported shock-horror document is 'leaked' just prior to a conference, the outcome of which is regarded as crucial to Western global policy interests. |
File:Nato-master-narrative-2008.pdf | |
File:Report on Terrorism 2014.pdf | A summary of global "terrorism" in 2014. |
Hasbara/History | |
Hit piece | something published with the intent to sway public opinion by presenting false information in a way that appears objective and honest. |
IPCC Sixth Assessment Report | Climate catastrophe report published in August 2021. |
Information Department | A successor to the Overseas Information Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office |
Information Operation | |
Institute for Statecraft/Activities | |
Islamic Media Unit | Responsible for managing news about British foreign policy in the UK |
... further results |
Related Quotations
Page | Quote | Author | Date |
---|---|---|---|
"COVID-19/Vaccine" | “We need to be careful, as it's obvious pharmaceutical companies wish to make a profit and would like to keep always selling vaccines for everyone. But we need to prioritise; we need to know if they're needed or not. (We need to) not be subordinated to Big Pharma dictating us: "we need a third dose", "we need a fourth", "we need to vaccinate children".” | Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador | July 2021 |
"Fake News" | “In the article, the [Washington] Post blurred the lines between “fake news” – stories that are simply made up – and what was deemed “propaganda,” in effect, information that didn’t jibe with what the U.S. State Department was saying.” | Robert Parry | 28 February 2017 |
"Iraq/WMD" | “Every war when it comes, or before it comes, is represented not as a war but as an act of self-defense against a homicidal maniac.” | George Orwell | |
Edward Bernays | “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country... In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons... who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind.” | Edward Bernays | 1928 |
George Carlin | “Smug, greedy, well-fed white people have invented a language to conceal their sins. It's as simple as that. The CIA doesn't kill anybody anymore, they neutralize people, or they depopulate the area. The government doesn't lie, it engages in disinformation. The Pentagon actually measures nuclear radiation in something they call sunshine units. Israeli murderers are called commandos, Arab commandos are called terrorists. Contra killers are called freedom fighters. Well, if crime fighters fight crime, and firefighters fight fires, what do freedom fighters fight?” | George Carlin | |
Corporate media/Mendacity | “Early in life I have noticed that no event is ever correctly reported in a newspaper.” | George Orwell | 1943 |
Cult | “The language of the totalist environment is characterized by the thought-terminating cliché. The most far-reaching and complex of human problems are compressed into brief, highly selective, definitive-sounding phrases, easily memorized and easily expressed. They become the start and finish of any ideological analysis.” | Robert Jay Lifton | 1961 |
Theodore Dalrymple | “Political correctness is communist propaganda writ small. In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, not to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better. When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity. To assent to obvious lies is in some small way to become evil oneself. One's standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control. I think if you examine political correctness, it has the same effect and is intended to.”” | Theodore Dalrymple | |
Joseph Goebbels | “Propaganda must facilitate the displacement of aggression by specifying the targets for hatred.” | Joseph Goebbels | |
Joseph Goebbels | “A lie told once remains a lie, but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth.” | Joseph Goebbels | |
Government | “The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, and intolerable...” | Henry L. Mencken | |
Institute for Statecraft/Projection | ““Information war” (informatsionnaya voyna)There is a clear distinction between the Russian definition: an all-encompassing, and not limited to wartime and the Western one: limited, tactical information operations carried out during hostilities. Russian approach is much broader than simply sowing lies and denial, for instance maintaining that Russian troops and equipment are not where they plainly are. Russian state and non-state actors have exploited history, culture, language, nationalism and more to carry out cyber-enhanced disinformation campaigns with much wider objectives. Russian aims to extract, exfiltrate, manipulate, distort, or insert information, or just isolate a target from sources of information other than Russian ones.” | Integrity Initiative | |
Internet/Censorship | “Terrorist propaganda online has a direct impact on the radicalisation of individuals and we work closely with the internet industry to remove terrorist material hosted in the UK or overseas.” | James Brokenshire | 2014 |
Mark Crispin Miller | “Propaganda has to tell you what you want to hear. It cannot go against your desires and your preconceptions. This is crucial. We can't claim to be purely victimized by the propaganda makers, because it takes two to tango. If they tell us things we want to hear, we will agree. Because people naturally don't want to think that their government killed the president in broad daylight, or flew planes into the twin towers. Who wants to think their own government engages in false flag operations, or that their top health officials are completely compromised by Big Pharma? Nobody wants to think that.” | Mark Crispin Miller | 14 May 2022 |
National Endowment for Democracy | “The NED is the umbilical cord of gold that leads directly back to Washington...And by this I’m not only referring to official U.S. government programmes, but to the vast network of clandestine players that plan and enact its information warfare operations. The cultural Cold War has never gone away, it’s just shifted from target to target.” | Frances Stonor Saunders | January 2022 |
Propagandist | “Rachel Schraer is a propagandist. She is not interested in basing the message on the information, but on selecting/fabricating information to help support the pre-determined message.” | Tareq Albaho | October 2022 |
Hugo López-Gatell Ramírez | “There's a powerful public opinion campaign induced by Big Pharma. If one explores the national and international press, and traces recommendations like these, one can perceive an important lack of scientific information to support these kind of recommendations. And by contrast there are statements by Big Pharma executives that already take it for granted.” | Hugo López-Gatell Ramírez | July 2021 |
Refugees International | “If I’m reading in the newspaper about a crisis somewhere in the world, it is of great consolation to me to know that, if not at this moment, then very soon I will be hearing from Refugees International about how we should think about the crisis and more importantly what we should do about it.”” | Samantha Power | |
StopFake | “[StopFake] has been criticised for a monomaniacal fixation on Russian hybrid warfare, but its work has been widely praised.” | June 2018 | |
Mark Twain | “How easy it is to make people believe a lie, and [how] hard it is to undo that work again!” | Mark Twain | 2 December 1906 |
Related Documents
Title | Type | Publication date | Author(s) | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Document:25 Rules of Disinformation | essay | 28 May 2011 | H. Michael Sweeney | Rules covering most of the tactics and stratagems employed by disinformation artists to promote official narratives and counter information and arguments that expose them as fraudulent. |
Document:5 July Seminar; Potential guest list for discussion | spooky seminar invitation list | 26 February 2016 | Integrity Initiative | Seminar with a mix of media, academics and lots of spooks |
Document:Ampiric Myopia | article | 28 April 2014 | Edmund Dalpe | An examination of unfolding events in Ukraine and the role of the media, informed by the philosophical approach of Linguistic determinism |
Document:Architecture of Modern Propaganda | webpage | 20 August 2011 | Zahir Ebrahim | |
Document:Avisa Partners Presentation | company presentation | June 2016 | Avisa Partners | This is very revealing but more official presentation of the company's influence work. Compare with the dirty tricks in Document:Combatting Russian Disinformation |
Document:Bid for MoD Funding 2017-2018 | project proposal | 14 March 2017 | Integrity Initiative | "Creation of a Europe-wide network of groups who understand the danger of Russian active measures and who can pass the message on to their own decision-makers and public, often using material which we initiate" |
Document:Cabinet Publicity Committee | book extract | 1994 | David Miller | |
Document:Chief of Defence Intelligence at RUSI 180518 | speech summary | 24 May 2018 | Euan Grant | There need to be exponential growths in information operations [..] and in cooperation with offensive cyber ops. |
Document:Chris Donnelly Paris Brussels May 2016 v2 | report | 13 December 2018 | Chris Donnelly | Chris Donnelly talks to his French II connections. "They think our main target needs to be the parts of the political class and the security structures 'where the rot is'"... "As an independent NGO we can do things they can’t do and national governments can’t do" |
Document:Combatting Russian Disinformation | report | June 2016 | Avisa Partners | A truly astonishing II document, with a lot of dirty methods. It is written by an established covert French propaganda network, spreading more than a 1000 stories a month, offering to work for II. "our ability to publish articles across hundreds of credible media outlets means that any campaign we undertake will have far more sway than the content published only on state-sponsored outlets RT and Sputnik, and their local few allies." |
Document:Elites Link Anti-Government Thought to Mental Illness | webpage | 11 March 2016 | Daily Bell Staff | |
Document:Filtering Sources On The Syrian War | article | 4 February 2014 | David Edwards | A cogent demonstration of the gross bias of the mainstream media in its coverage of the ongoing 2011 Syrian insurgency. It shows that they are immune to any lessons of their similarly mendacious reporting both before and during the 2003 Iraq war |
Document:Hijacking the word 'Islam' for Mantra Creation | webpage | 31 May 2009 | Zahir Ebrahim | |
Document:Ideas for Ramping up IfS Contributions to the Cause | strategy document | 16 March 2018 | Victor Madeira | Outline of the Ifs-parts of a big covert propaganda campaign to synchronize and spread the British narrative ('the Cause') in the Skripal case. |
Document:Institute for Statecraft project on Russian influence - Impact as at 19 04 2016 | report | 19 April 2016 | Chris Donnelly | A list of stories II has planted in media per April 2016, some openly, some secretly, like "Trolls on the Kremlin Payroll"; plus a number of youtube lectures with a lacklustre number of unique views. |
Document:Integrity France | report | 25 June 2018 | Integrity Initiative | a partial list of II-France members. For complete list, see Integrity Initiative/Cluster/France |
Document:Integrity Initiative Budget for the 12 months ending 31 March 2019 | Budget and activity plan | 2 November 2018 | Integrity Initiative | Budget outlining how Integrity Initiative is going to control the information space, and influence policy-makers, specialists and media. |
Document:Is media just another word for control? | audio transcript | 2 January 2014 | John Pilger | This is a transcript of John Pilger's contribution to a special edition of BBC Radio 4's 'Today' programme, on 2 January 2014, guest-edited by the artist and musician Polly Harvey. |
Document:Korea and the "Axis of Evil" | article | 2002 | Brian Willson | |
Document:Leaked Karl Rove email | 27 August 2011 | Karl Rove | ||
Document:Manufacturing Dissent | article | 1 June 2008 | Zahir Ebrahim | |
Document:NATO’s new Cold War runs into trouble in Germany | article | 2 May 2014 | Christoph Germann | Evidence of a substantial and growing disconnect between the German establishment and its population. The official narrative of an agressive expansionist Russia is being comprehensively rejected and it spells trouble for NATO |
Document:Northern Ireland Information Service - Planting Stories | book extract | 1994 | David Miller | |
Document:Overthrow Inc | article | 6 August 2009 | Stephen Gowans | |
Document:Politics and the English Language | essay | 1946 | George Orwell | |
Document:Real Lives - Extract from Don't Mention the War | book extract | 1994 | David Miller | |
Document:Russia, Novichok and the long tradition of British government misinformation | article | 12 April 2018 | David Miller | |
Document:Russian Lies and the Skripal Case | strategy document | 10 March 2018 | Chris Donnelly SPCD | II document describing the backstory to the British narrative of the Sergei Skripal incident |
Document:Social Media as a vector for propaganda | paper | 26 December 2018 | Integrity Initiative | |
Document:Staged ISIS Videos Exemplify Fake News | article | 7 September 2014 | Jay Dyer | ISIS and the methodology, motivations and people behind the production and stage management of FAKE NEWS |
Document:Terrorism as Seen From Washington | article | 5 May 2014 | Thierry Meyssan | A brief expose of the US Annual Report on Terrorism in the world as the propaganda. |
Document:The BBC’s vaccine cheerleader Jeremy Vine gets his comeuppance | Article | 15 August 2021 | Kathy Gyngell | The BBC and their COVID-19/Vaccine propaganda is getting pushback. |
Document:The British Media and Gibraltar | book extract | 1994 | David Miller | |
Document:The Committee | book extract | 1994 | David Miller | |
Document:The Dominant Grand Narrative Of Our Time | article | 27 January 2014 | David Cromwell | Mainstream media spokesmen, journalists and reporters are corralled into supporting and promoting the Establishment 'Dominant Grand-Narrative of our Time' while most appear blissfully unaware of the gross deceptions their careers are harnessed too - 'a man cannot see what his livelihood requires him NOT to see' - as the saying goes |
Document:The Integrity Initiative Guide to Countering Russian Disinformation | analysis | 2 November 2018 | Integrity Initiative | A guide to Russian disinformation, an ideological prep guide for dedicated II operatives |
Document:The Network of Networks | analysis | 30 May 18 JL | Chris Donnelly | A handbook for Integrity Initiative activities, including starting clusters |
Document:The Propaganda Model | article | 5 October 2011 | David Cromwell | An overview of the 'Propaganda Model' that accurately defines the nature of the western mainstream media. It also illustrates why "Commercially Controlled Media" is probably a better and more accurate term |
Document:The Russian Party in France | report | June 2016 | Françoise Thom | Everyone in France not following the strict pro-American NATO-line is a "linchpin of the Russian networks" because "we are dealing with a strategy of pre-conquest." |
Document:The Weaponisation of Information | article | 9 August 2007 | SATS | |
Document:Towards the End of US Propaganda | article | 21 April 2014 | Thierry Meyssan | An analysis of Anglo-US propaganda techniques from their post-WWI origins to the absurdities of their explanations about the 2014 Ukraine coup and it aftermath. It's author opines that its days are numbered |
Document:Visit of Ukrainian Reserve Officers Draft | Wikispooks Page | 13 December 2018 | Integrity Initiative | British forces are interested in what Ukrainian colleagues have to say (including what seems to be some tall tales from a Roman Myhailyk) |
Document:What is the point of tourists' checks and tests if migrants can just walk into Dover? | article | 5 June 2021 | Peter Hitchens | A blog post outlining the illogical policy of lockdown measures in the pandemic era, followed by sections about political correctness, and the Douma attack whistleblowers and Wikileaks. |
File:Hotel Rwanda.pdf | report | 1 November 2007 | Keith Harmon-Snow | |
File:ISAF-Spokesperson.pdf | presentation | 17 September 2012 | ISAF Staff | |
File:MindWar.pdf | paper | 1980 | Paul E. Vallely Michael A. Aquino | |
File:Persona-Management-Contract.pdf | official document | 22 June 2010 | A USAF 'specification and invitation to supply' for 'persona management software' | |
File:Propaganda.pdf | book | 1928 | Edward Bernays | A seminal work on the systematic manipulation of public opinion. |
File:US Psychological Warfare in Ukraine Targeting Online Independent Media Coverage.pdf | article | 20 March 2015 | George Eliason | Cyberwarfare operations are getting targeted at anyone. |
New Climate Reality, New Media | Article | 10 August 2021 | Mike Small | Call out the worst of columnists and publications spouting writing that is clearly against the common good and against humanity’s future. A weekly prize for the worst culprits. Naming and shaming disinformation and sponsored propaganda. |
References
- ↑ https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/70-year-war-propaganda-built-cia
- ↑ http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-38995205
- ↑ http://www.globalresearch.ca/war-by-media-and-the-triumph-of-propaganda/5418152
- ↑ https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/07/14/u-s-repeals-propaganda-ban-spreads-government-made-news-to-americans/
- ↑ https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/mhastings/congressmen-seek-to-lift-propaganda-ban
- ↑ https://www.mintpressnews.com/planting-stories-in-the-press-lifting-of-us-propaganda-ban-gives-new-meaning-to-old-song/237493/