Do you know the origins of propaganada? There was the propagation of the faith of the Catholic Church:
The origin of the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda has passed through two distinct periods: The first period is that of the cardinalitial commission de propaganda fide (before it had been constituted a definite pontifical department or ministry). This lasted from the time of Pope Gregory XIII (1572-85) to 1622, when Gregory XV established the congregation properly so-called. Gregory XIII instituted a primary commission composed of the three cardinals especially charged to promote the union with Rome of the Oriental Christians (Slavs, Greeks, Syrians, Egyptians, and Abyssinians).
And there is the synonym for advertising described by Edward L. Bernays:
Propaganda by Edward L. Bernays, often considered to be the father of modern day public relations, envisions how both corporate and government bodies may use the media, science and even education to control what the public thinks and believes. This work has become more relevant over time as the emergence of the internet and partisan political television networks dominate in the coverage which is filtered and delivered to the masses.
And then there is Joseph Goebbels’ indelible, all too familiar definition:
1. Propagandist must have access to intelligence concerning events and public opinion.2. Propaganda must be planned and executed by only one authority.a. It must issue all the propaganda directives.b. It must explain propaganda directives to important officials and maintain their morale.c. It must oversee other agencies’ activities which have propaganda consequences.3. The propaganda consequences of an action must be considered in planning that action.4. Propaganda must affect the enemy’s policy and action.a. By suppressing propagandistically desirable material which can provide the enemy with useful intelligenceb. By openly disseminating propaganda whose content or tone causes the enemy to draw the desired conclusionsc. By goading the enemy into revealing vital information about himselfd. By making no reference to a desired enemy activity when any reference would discredit that activity5. Declassified, operational information must be available to implement a propaganda campaign6. To be perceived, propaganda must evoke the interest of an audience and must be transmitted through an attention-getting communications medium.7. Credibility alone must determine whether propaganda output should be true or false.8. The purpose, content and effectiveness of enemy propaganda; the strength and effects of an expose; and the nature of current propaganda campaigns determine whether enemy propaganda should be ignored or refuted.9. Credibility, intelligence, and the possible effects of communicating determine whether propaganda materials should be censored.10. Material from enemy propaganda may be utilized in operations when it helps diminish that enemy’s prestige or lends support to the propagandist’s own objective.11. Black rather than white propaganda may be employed when the latter is less credible or produces undesirable effects.12. Propaganda may be facilitated by leaders with prestige.13. Propaganda must be carefully timed.a. The communication must reach the audience ahead of competing propaganda.b. A propaganda campaign must begin at the optimum momentc. A propaganda theme must be repeated, but not beyond some point of diminishing effectiveness14. Propaganda must label events and people with distinctive phrases or slogans.a. They must evoke desired responses which the audience previously possessesb. They must be capable of being easily learnedc. They must be utilized again and again, but only in appropriate situationsd. They must be boomerang-proof15. Propaganda to the home front must prevent the raising of false hopes which can be blasted by future events.16. Propaganda to the home front must create an optimum anxiety level.a. Propaganda must reinforce anxiety concerning the consequences of defeatb. Propaganda must diminish anxiety (other than concerning the consequences of defeat) which is too high and which cannot be reduced by people themselves17. Propaganda to the home front must diminish the impact of frustration.a. Inevitable frustrations must be anticipatedb. Inevitable frustrations must be placed in perspective18. Propaganda must facilitate the displacement of aggression by specifying the targets for hatred.19. Propaganda cannot immediately affect strong counter-tendencies; instead it must offer some form of action or diversion, or both.
