or of information, that separate propaganda from mere journalism or an innocent exchange of ideas (Jewett, p.16).
There are many different types of propaganda, ranging from propaganda which is based on the truth to propaganda which actively seeks to spread untruths. Perhaps the most pernicious forms are black propaganda and disinformation. Black propaganda occurs when a false source is given in order to widely disseminate outright lies and deception. For example, prior to HitlerÆs invasion of England during World War II, the New British Broadcasting Station was supposedly run by disaffected Britons and ran programs which disseminated false news of the war. The station was, in actuality, run by the German government in order to undermine British morale during the famous Battle of Britain (Jewett, p. 18). Disinformation is sometimes considered a milder form of black propaganda, in which news stories meant to weaken adversaries are planted in media outlets by propagandists.
Many observers grapple with the distinction between propaganda and persuasion. This is due to the fact that, on some level, propaganda seeks to persuade its recipients. The main distinction, however, between propaganda and persuasion lies in the goals and the process of the colmunication. For example, ôpersuasion is a reciprocal process in which both parties are dependent on each other. It is a situation of interactive dependency.ö The persuader seeks to convince their audience by interacting with them. They know that their audience is an active one, and that they must address the needs of the audience in order to convince them. Propaganda, by contrast, seeks to coercively persuade a captive and inactive audience. As we have seen earlier, it seeks to place people into a cognitive box and manipulate them into remaining within that box: ôthe propagandist knowsàthat the purpose is not to promote mutual understanding but rather to promote his or ...