(4-minute read)

“I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense.“

Thomas Paine, Common sense, 1776

Political writer and philosopher, Thomas Paine, wrote a nearly 50 page pamphlet called Common Sense. It convinced many Americans to join the Revolution in 1776. Paine persuasively argued that a monarchy was not in agreement with Christian values. He used several key bits of scripture from the Christian testament to shore up his argument. A government based on the premise that “all men were created equal” was consistent with those values.

His plan of action called for British subjects to reject the monarchy’s claim on the colonies. They were encouraged to take up arms if needed. Common Sense sold nearly 2.5 million copies. In a burgeoning nation of …2.5 million people.

Mr. Paine was a very popular writer.

After the war he moved to France in 1791 where he wrote another small document called the Rights of Man. It defended the revolution that ousted, Louis XVI.

Paine proved to be a life-long propagandist.

That Paine is considered a propagandist may be surprising to some. When we hear or see the word propaganda we have some very different ideas about what that word means today.

In light of the prior articles, Establishing Fact From Fiction, I think it’s important we examine these topics. We should look closely at the elements of propaganda and persuasion. Are they the same or is there a difference between the two? Knowing the answer certainly helps us to decide what information is real and what isn’t.

Persuasion vs. Propaganda

How would you define the word propaganda? What thoughts or images come to mind?

For many generations of Americans, the word propaganda brings specific mental images. These are usually black and white video footage. They include either soldiers marching in the streets. Huge political rallies often with throngs in attendance. There are several close-up shots of men and women weeping or exhibiting great emotional exuberance.

We have those images because the term has been used in documentaries accompanying the visuals. The voice overs describe the motives and communication efforts used to draw the crowds. These efforts usually led to some very, very ugly things humans inflicted upon another.

After WWII, one of the questions asked was how did one nation be swayed to do these horrible atrocities? The answer is always the propaganda machine of the offending party. Up until that time, the word propaganda had been used as a neutral term. It was primarily used in academic circles.

In the US, the term was used as early as 1917. President Woodrow Wilson aimed to “make the world safe for democracy.” He signed an executive order creating the Committee On Public Information. It was the first office of ministry of information for the United States.

George Creel, a former journalist, chaired the committee. Wilson, Creel, and the committee sought to drive media outlets with their pro democracy messages. They wanted to proactively dominate the messages news organizations used in reporting the events up to WWI. Moreover, the committee hired 75,000 speakers from all over of the country to argue in favor of the war. (You can read more about the committee here)

Up to that point the word propaganda was not saddled with the negative connotation it has today. It was simply used to describe a way to spread an idea to a large population. Eventually, the meaning of the term evolved into what it is today. A suspect form of communication with implications of duping or misleading people with false or misleading information.

Propaganda Defined

After reading the definition, can you think of any contemporary examples that match the criteria below?

Academically speaking, propaganda uses spoken, written, pictorial, or musical representations. Its purpose is to influence thought and action. It often involves employing debatable techniques.

In its common usage propaganda is the systematic expression of opinions or actions. These are carried out deliberately to influence individuals or groups. The influence is for predetermined ends through psychological manipulations.

Debatable techniques and manipulations.

The word propaganda has a lot of baggage attached to it. It will be hard to persuade anyone that propaganda is anything but attempts at lying. And it is not my intention to try and restore the word back to its original academic neutral term.

Yet, there is one intention I will readily admit to.

I would like to point out that I think all of us use some systematic form of propaganda. I would like to get you to critically think about whether you are using debatable, manipulative techniques as well.

Read Persuasion vs. Propaganda, Pt. 2.