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For many years people have discussed
what propaganda is. See propaganda
models that were defined for the PhD project,
and some propaganda links.
Origins
of Propaganda
The term propaganda originated from the 'Congragatio de
propaganda fide' (congregation for propagating the faith), a Roman Catholic organisation
founded in 1622 for the purposes of missionary work. By the end of the First World
War, it had become an unsavoury term: the Americans believed that they had been
'lured' into the war through the use of British propaganda. The Nazis appeared
to believe the same, as Goebbels had a great admiration for British propaganda,
and modelled the German Propaganda Ministry upon it. Note that the British had
a 'Ministry of Information', not a 'Ministry of Propaganda' - and a great deal
of thought was put into naming the Ministry, with Persuasion not thought to be
strong enough, and Propaganda thought to be too strong! | |
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Defining Propaganda
The word 'propaganda'
is defined as "The systematic propagation of
information or ideas by an intrested party,
esp. in a tendentious way to encourage or instil
a particular attitude or response. Also, the
ideas, doctrines, etc., disseminated thus; the
vehicle of such propagation." (OED
Online, Accessed 11th April 2000)
Encarta
defines propaganda as the "dissemination of ideas and information for the
purpose of inducing or intensifying specific attitudes and actions. Because propaganda
is frequently accompanied by distortions of fact and by appeals to passion and
prejudice, it is often thought to be invariably false or misleading. This view
is relative, however. Although some propagandists may intentionally distort fact,
others may present it as faithfully as objective observers. A lawyer's brief is
as much propaganda as a billboard advertisement. Education, whatever its objective,
is a form of propaganda. The essential distinction lies in the intentions of the
propagandist to persuade an audience to adopt the attitude or action he or she
espouses." Encarta |
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