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Jessie Jacobsen
Ms. Wilson
HELA 10
24 February 2015
The Problems With Propaganda
Commercials, posters, radio, television, movies, and more; all around there is
propaganda, often didactic, attempting to draw people in and change the values of
society. Throughout wars, government and worldly issues, and in everyday life
propaganda has been used against the U.S. and causes different negative ideas to be
placed into peoples minds. Although propaganda itself is not defined as a bad thing, a
majority of the time it is used in a way that drives adversity. It is used so frequently that
people often do not notice when an idea is their own or if it is under the influence of
another organization. Ultimately, the media uses propaganda to manipulate and has
covertly changed the beliefs of people all over the world.
Americans grow up in a society controlled by propaganda, so it goes unnoticed.
Every day people interact with a plethora of types of propaganda, and many times dont
even realize that ideas are being planted. It is possible that the propagandist can make
measurements of the contents of his own ideas and of the propaganda that is put out by
others (Smith). Think about the amount of labels, posters, commercials, billboards, etc.,
that can be seen in one day. More often than not, people look at these without ever
considering the influence that they have. Yet, people find themselves donating money to
some foundation, or having a certain opinion on a politician. A lot of promotions are
made on things that have a minor effect on society, but the government uses more

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propaganda than noticed to place beliefs in the minds of their people. In some places,
reality is staring the public in the face, but the truth has been grossly distorted for
decades by government and mass media, bias and propaganda. (Weiser). With this being
the case, its hard to not be cynical and to think what kind of personal ideas are
influenced during one day.
The media uses propaganda to gain power and control. It only gives partial
glimpses from one point of view into issues, and in that way attempts to influence
peoples beliefs. Those that control the media are able to control the propaganda they put
out and have an impact on who supports the side that they are promoting. Propaganda is
being run by less than one percent of the population for their guaranteed advantages,
while on the other end, the system is rigged to keep the majority in perpetual servitude
(Weiser). Power comes with the support of people, and the support comes from the
influence and ideas brought up by the media. If public opinion is in favor of the
government, that gives power. A chosen event to focus on by the media can change public
opinion and force governments to do something about it (Vidal). As mentioned before,
media and propaganda is everywhere, many times pretentious, and the media draws
people in to believe the ideas that they put out (see Appendix A). When backed by the
media, governments are able to attract more followers, leading to more power.
In many countries, propaganda has a negative influence. Governments, industries,
and parties use it worldwide. Many times though, it is not amicable. In 2006, the U.S.
was paying reporters in Iraq to print articles about good things that were done in America
through Iraqi publications. This caused tension between the U.S. and people in Iraq
because no one knew for sure if they had actually happened. The report said The

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militarys direct oversight of an apparently independent news organization and
remuneration for articles that are published will undoubtedly raise questions focused on
truth and credibility, that will be difficult to deflect, regardless of the intensions and
purpose of the remuneration. (Cloud). In Africa (2010), Western powers provide
financial aid, but have also used that power and influence to create flippant images of the
country. African people claim that the western media has formed an opinion about Africa,
while presenting images of hunger, famine, and disease; the beautiful landscapethe
untapped mineral wealth, the vibrant tourist potential, the innocent wildlifeand the
emergence of new democratic leaders, never make it to the front pages or the main
headlines (Leone). Some argue that propaganda is a value free term and is not
definitely negative. The American Revolution occurred in part because of a sustained,
successful propaganda movement throughout the colonies. (Snow). Although the
definition of propaganda does not deem it an evil thing, it is rarely used right and only
shows the positives and the ostentatious side of a problem or opinion. It does not show
the full truth, and therefore brings about conflict around the world.
Through media, propaganda is used for control of power and to bring about
negative beliefs in a way that has become so normal to people, it is not noticed and
counteracted. With every representation of propaganda, whether it is small or on a subject
dealing with political issues, peoples personal beliefs and morals are changed. In a world
that strives off of propaganda, it is difficult to have a confident opinion. The media
challenges people to keep separate their own beliefs, from those ideas that are planted in
their minds.

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Appendix A

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Works Cited
Cloud, David S. "U.S. Urged to Stop Paying Iraqi Reporters." The New York Times 24
May 2006. The New York Times. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/24/world/middleeast/24propaganda.html?
fta=y&_r=0>.
Dees, David. Mind Control. n.d.
Leone, Sierra. "Negative Propaganda and Its Devastating Effects on Africa's
Development." Newstime Africa. N.p., 11 Sept. 2010. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.newstimeafrica.com/archives/13897>.
Smith, Bruce Lannes. "Measurement of the Effects of Propaganda." Encyclopedia
Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2014. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/478875/propaganda/23837/Measur
ement-of-the-effects-of-propaganda>.
Snow, Nancy. "Positive Propaganda." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 18
Mar. 2010. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancysnow/positive-propaganda_b_393843.html>.
Vidal, David Stanford University. N.p. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
<http://web.stanford.edu/class/e297a/War Reporting on the U.S. War in
Iraq.htm>.S.
Weiser, Mark. "US Propaganda: How Corporate America Manipulates the American
Public Into Unwitting Support for Corporate Fascism." Global Research. Global
Research, 17 Oct. 2014. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. <http://www.globalresearch.ca/us-

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propaganda-how-corporate-america-manipulates-the-american-public-intounwitting-support-for-corporate-fascism/5408445>.