On Propaganda
Michael Parenti says, “The first premise of propaganda in the United States today is that it doesn’t exist, that there is no propaganda from the established media and from the government and that we have only ‘information.’ Propaganda is something that other people do.“ If you say that there is propaganda in the U.S. you are immediately marginalized and categorized as a “kook” with “a personal axe to grind.” He says, “The most effective propaganda is that which relies on framing rather than falsehood.” Parenti illustrates his analysis with examples from mainstream media reporting on Nicaragua, Cuba, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama and Afghanistan.
Interview by David Barsamian.
Recorded at KGNU.
Speaker
Michael Parenti
Michael Parenti is a leading independent political analyst and scholar. Cornel West calls him, “a towering prophetic voice.” He has taught at major colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad. He is the author of numerous books including Democracy for the Few, Power and the Powerless, Superpatriotism, Against Empire, and The Assassination of Julius Caesar.
David in Danville, CA –
Listening again to your 1988 interview with Michael Parenti on Propaganda. What a great job you did and what a brilliant political commentator he is.