The machinations of the Philippine government are very recent evidence of government propaganda - especially since journalist Maria Ressa received the Nobel Peace Prize for her struggle against government propaganda and state lies.
Government propaganda is also widespread in democracies and in the Western world. The best example of this comes from the United States of America: how the American government marketed the Iraq war to American citizens.
Propaganda is not a new phenomenon, but it has now reached a new dimension. The Nazi regime openly used propaganda methods to convince the people of its own ideology.
Today, propaganda is often used more covertly, and also often through new media such as social networks.
For example, Meta (formerly Facebook) recently announced that it had removed a massive disinformation campaign carried out by authorities in Nicaragua. President Daniel Ortega was celebrated for more than three years on various websites and social media accounts, while the reputation of the opposition was being vilified.
Another example: In September, two German YouTube channels affiliated with Russia Today were banned for spreading misleading information about the Corona virus. Russia Today is an international government channel that is often described as a propaganda vehicle for the Russian government. Its main goal, according to researchers from Oxford University, is to spread the message that Western media are lying.
But what is propaganda in the first place? How can I recognize her? This text provides answers to these questions. About this, we spoke to four experts specialized in this field.
What is propaganda?
Politicians use propaganda to influence people's thinking, behavior and feelings. People are manipulated in order to convince them of a certain opinion or position, as political researcher Piers Robinson of the Organization for Propaganda Studies explained in an interview with DW. He mentions here as an example how American politicians justified the Iraq war to their citizens.
Regarding this, Robinson says that they "made Iraq seem like a greater threat than it actually was." Politicians in the American government announced that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. However, these weapons were never found. The alleged photographic evidence provided by the CIA was in fact disinformation and targeted propaganda.
In an interview with DW, the example of the United States and Iraq was also mentioned by Florian Zollmann, a journalist researcher from Newcastle University of Arts and Culture. Zollman says misinformation and fake news are part of propaganda. Therefore, according to him, it is not possible to clearly distinguish between false allegations and propaganda.
Propaganda poses a threat to the principle of the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights, as stated in a study issued by the European Parliament.
In addition, the importance of public relations should not be underestimated, according to Robinson and Zollman. “At the end of the day, these are all just propaganda tactics,” Zolman says. “This does not mean that publicity is always bad,” he adds, “we just have to realize that people can also be influenced through public relations.”
What goals does political propaganda pursue?
"The main goal is to create a positive image of politicians and the government," Pavel Koshkin, then a researcher at the Institute of US and Canadian Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in an interview with DW in November 2021, and a former editor-in-chief of the Russian online platform Russia Direct. Koshkin added that government propaganda is used in Russia with the aim of creating a democratic image of Russia.
Political propaganda seeks, in part, not only to portray the country in a positive light, but also to portray other countries, cultures, and values in a negative light. For example, a study conducted by the Media Development Foundation revealed how anti-Western propaganda is disseminated in Georgian media.
But communications expert Robinson confirms that propaganda is not only used in countries such as Russia, China and North Korea. “I think the problem in democratic countries is that there is a lot of propaganda, but we don't realize it,” Robinson says.
Likewise, his colleague Zolman says: “Of course we also have propaganda in Germany and the United States of America.” Propaganda is used in authoritarian and democratic countries. But the difference between propaganda in dictatorial regimes and propaganda in democratic regimes is that access to information from other media is much easier in democratic regimes.
What is the role of the media in spreading political propaganda?
On the one hand, the media can transmit and promote propaganda, he said in an interview with DW Christian Mehr from Reporters Without Borders. For example, Russia's Russia Today television channel is constantly criticized as a propaganda tool for the Kremlin.
The Federal Center for Political Awareness states on its website that the Russia Today channel is funded by Moscow and “particularly reflects the official point of view of the Russian government.” The Polish Public Television Network (TVP) is also repeatedly accused of using propaganda tactics and glorifying the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party.
How do I recognize political propaganda?
The media can transmit propaganda intentionally, but also unintentionally. To detect propaganda, the media must best act as a "watchdog," says propaganda expert Robinson. This is what people also expect and, according to media research, it is considered one of the main tasks of journalism.
Journalists can at best categorize political propaganda, says Reporters Without Borders' Mehr. For example, they can ask critical questions to politicians and question independent experts on the topic.
Although political propaganda is often used subtly, it can be recognized. Here are some tips on how to recognize advertising:
