Propaganda is information that is not objective and is used primarily to influence an audience and further an agenda. Propagandists present facts selectively or publish lies (colloquially known as fake news) to encourage a particular perception by using strategically drafted language to produce an emotional, rather than a rational response, to the information presented.
The objective of propaganda is to trick the reader or listener into believing what the propagandist wants him or her to believe. By purposefully choosing parts of the bigger picture or by blatantly lying about the picture, the reader can be deceived into believing partial truths or lies.
Widespread political propaganda can cause a state of information chaos within a country, which only benefits politicians and political parties (or an enemy state e.g. Russia’s alleged information attack on the US general election). A wise man once said that the sole objective of a political party is to win elections. In order to win control of the government, in our constitutional system, citizens and residents choose the political party by way of voting for its political candidates. Therefore, politicians and political parties use propaganda to keep supporters loyal and to gain new supporters.
Politicians do not want voters to be objectively informed to challenge decisions and statements made by them. Blind loyalty is what political parties crave. When politicians steal state funds, take bribes, become morally bankrupt or fail in the management of their Ministries, they do not want to lose voters in the next election at all costs, so their actions or inactions can continue without repercussion.
Politicians also want their supporters to rally behind them, no matter what scandal or bobol is associated with them. Blind loyalty of this nature is preserved by the use of propaganda. Hypothetically, if a container of air conditioners destined for a state office goes missing (ending up in a politician and his or her family members’ homes) the pro-government propagandist will issue a press release or fake news item stating that a container fell off a ship in the Caribbean Sea while sailing from Miami to St Kitts. The politicians do not care if the story is true, once it is disseminated to as many people as possible. Who are you to question what “the media” tells you happened to the container?
“Make the lie big, keep it simple, keep saying it and eventually they will believe it” is quote from Nazi propaganda chief Dr Joseph Goebbels. That is the essence of the trick used by politicians and political parties for centuries.
