Last, What is Propaganda?
Welcome to the last episode of Command and Signal- a limited run podcast about vets, propaganda, patriotism and other bullshit. Over the last few episodes, we’re looked at what some key words mean, why they matter and we looked at them in context. We explored fascism, nationalism, patriotism, bro vets, Kaepernick, feminism, gender… the good stuff. Now we come to the reason we explored all of this- propaganda and fake news.
What is propaganda? What is fake news? Do we REALLY know?
Fake news is news that is fake. The issue, however, is discerning the word “fake.” To do that, we must come to terms with the difference between an opinion and fact. An opinion is a statement that is subjective while a fact is a statement that is objective. You might think this is easy but according to a Pew Research study, only about a quarter of adults can correctly pick out a fact from opinion statement consistently. So, ask yourself, are you one of those people?
Odds are pretty good that you are.
This matters on two fronts. First, figuring out when media is an editorial and when it is hard news is vital to being able to navigate media. For example, Sean Hannity is NOT a newsman and is not reporting the news… his show is an example of an OPINION- it is an editorial show. Meanwhile, Christopher Wallace on Fox News is an anchor for their hard news outfit. To my listeners that are nominally liberal, that doesn’t mean Wallace is always right but neither is the New York Times. What it does mean is that while you may be able to find a billion instances of Sean Hannity being wrong or fluid with the facts, you will have a harder time of doing that for Chris Wallace.
In fact, I challenge my listeners to examine if this very podcast is an editorial or hard news show.
So, what’s the second reason we need to know what fake news is? Well, propaganda. Propaganda is a tricky word to define. Is it anything that is trying to persuade you? Is it government communications? Is it all opinions not in hard news? Is it public relations? Woof, this is tough.
The reality is that there isn’t a firm answer, so I’ll offer the definition this podcast utilizes. Propaganda uses deceptive methods to sway a population into believing something that upholds or disrupts people in power. Effectively there is a dynamic relationship with power and it’s persuasive in nature.
So, with all that in mind, let’s return to the the Vietnam Veterans of America report. There is campaign being waged by foreign governments locating and using wedge issues to drive a wedge between you veterans and the civilian population. The topics they are using are race, gender, sexism. You know… the basics. Which is why we’ve talked about race, gender, and sexism the last few episodes. Because if you know the reality, the propaganda is less effective.
But let’s get back to fake news.
It’s important that you know that all news is not fake news. Fake news as a literal thing is a tool of propaganda and those foreign governments… but that doesn’t make every article you disagree with or dislike fake news. I challenge you to think critically and listen to those with different experiences than you. You don’t need to be an expert in critical race theory, you just need to talk with a Mo. You don’t need to be an expert in intersectional feminism, you just need to listen to a Kate. You don’t need to understand how gender and sexuality works, you just need to see Hanna as a person.
The best way we can stop international bad actors from using us as tools to damage our country, our democracy and our relationships is by doing what this podcast sought to do- sharing fewer memes, being a discerning reader and talking to people different than ourselves.