In today’s society, the use of propaganda is more present than ever among many different things. From the Merriam-Webster definition, propaganda is “ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause. We’ve seen this practice used all throughout history, but especially during times of war.
In World War I, many countries, especially those of fascist and communist rule, used propaganda to help expand their power. In fact, this is the time period where the word became common and well-known. Here at home, we used propaganda within media and art to help motivated citizens to join the fight or do their part to help further our military. Everyone is familiar with famous pieces like Uncle Sam’s “I want you!” and Rosie the Riveter’s “You can do it!” posters. These were very popular ways of swaying the mind for a general-purpose that help the country. In fact, they’re still used and talked about as positive or motivating pieces today.
Adding to Merriam-Webster’s definition, Britannica.com says propaganda is “more or less systematic effort to manipulate other people’s beliefs, attitudes, or actions by means of symbols (words, gestures, banners, monuments, music, clothing, insignia, hairstyles, designs on coins and postage stamps, and so forth.)
In current times, Britannica’s definition is very true. With the political hatred being as intense as it is, we see propaganda used from both the left and right. Along with their extremely obvious bias, our media (network and online) is constantly displaying propaganda to support a position favorited by their organizations. ABC, NBC, CNN, etc were known for exaggerating (in some opinion’s) or showing untrue accusations about the former President Trump.
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In fact, a report recently came out that included an interview with a CNN staffer. The staffer made mention of how the network repeatedly used propaganda and bias to help sway voters in the 2020 election. "Look at what we did, we got Trump out," Charles Chester told FoxNews. "I am 100% going to say it. And I 100% believe it that if it wasn't for CNN, I don't know that Trump would have got voted out." He continued to make mention of certain instances, like the time President Trump had “shaky hands” and the network called in a medical professional to help put fear in American’s that the president was unwell and wouldn’t be fit for a second term. On the contrary, the staffer said they only showed upbeat and athletic videos of then president-elect, Biden, to push against the stance his age played a huge toll on him, even though it certainly does. In his closing remarks, he spoke on how the head of the network looks for stories that will instill fear into viewers on things they are against. A quote from Chester was “fear sells,” personally concerning me as these news organizations are forcing their own direction and agenda, not simply delivering facts.
On the other side, organizations like FOX News and Newsmax claimed for months after President Trump’s election loss that there was obvious evidence that supported fraud activity within voting. In fact, the news organization OWN still claims President Trump won the 2020 election and has continuously refused to call Joe Biden “President Biden” or Kamala Harris “Vice President Harris.” With their own display of bias and propaganda, viewers are left to choose which side they believe.
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The bottom line is propaganda isn’t going anywhere and as citizens, we need to be aware of when it’s used. Even with the pandemic, signs and ads are filled with sad-looking elderly people or doctors that say “protect us” among other phrases that medical professionals hope encourage people to follow CDC guidelines and eventually get vaccinated. While people will have differing opinions on this tactic, it’s up to us individually to decide how we understand the propaganda and what educated decisions we will make or not make because of it.
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