Propaganda
From RationalWiki
Propaganda is the use of media and other information sources in order to affect or control the perceptions and behaviour of a population. Frequently the information is wholly or partially incorrect, or misrepresented in order to convey a specific, pervasive message.
The aim of propaganda is not to inform, but to guide thought. In this regard, propaganda may be separated from simple advertising in that advertising largely attempts to extoll the virtues of a product or service in order to attract commerce, propaganda is a much more pervasive attempt to mold public opinion for a variety of reasons. However, propaganda shares many techniques in common with advertising, such as repetition, reliance on famous spokespeople and messages cloaked in advertisement.
Political movements of all types have used propaganda widely, despite sometimes dramatically opposing ideologies. For example, in World War II, the Allies, Soviets and Nazis, all very different in their ideologies, all used propaganda to a great degree during the course of the conflict and after.[1][2][3]
Although already seen in some circles as a threat to democratic ways of life as early as 1937[4], the word did not become pejorative in common usage until after World War II.
