6 ms·

Unverifiable theory, but I think when the news was just the few media companies who ran TV and newspapers, selling a narrative was easy. Look how easily we got

Unverifiable theory, but I think when the news was just the few media companies who ran TV and newspapers, selling a narrative was easy. Look how easily we got tricked into going into Iraq and staying in Afghanistan for 20 years. Now that news is more distributed (as originally intended) by independent journalist on things like YouTube and substack. Not only do these independent journalistic outlets exist, they are more popular than traditional news (TV/print), making various propaganda efforts much more difficult to stick. This is one of several strategies to regain control of that propaganda channel.

rmellow 5y ago
Sorry but there was enormous international pushback against it (curiously this is when they started calling French Fries "Freedom Fries"): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governmental_positions_on_the_Iraq_War_prior_to_the_2003_invasion_of_Iraq#Opposing_U.S._Position https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governmental_positions_on_th... I'm sceptical that the population that was "tricked" back then wouldn't be just as easily swayed nowadays. Political affiliation is largely an emotional matter to a great mass of people, and rationality has a limited role in it.
- Clubber 5y ago
  >Sorry but there was enormous international pushback against it Sure, there was domestic pushback too, but the "trusted" news sources actually countered that pushback by not questioning the government line and bolstered the whole WMD fear mongering. The NYT actually apologized for it after the fact to try to save their reputation. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/may/26/pressandpublishing.usnews https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/may/26/pressandpublis... The NYT, et al also refused to publish the Snowden revelations until they absolutely had to (after the guardian pushed it). Same with the Clinton/Lewinsky thing. They refused to report on the Hunter Biden laptop either, which, like it or not, is "fit to print." There were also quite a few anti-Assange articles if I recall.

rmellow 5y ago

Sorry but there was enormous international pushback against it (curiously this is when they started calling French Fries "Freedom Fries"): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governmental_positions_on_the_Iraq_War_prior_to_the_2003_invasion_of_Iraq#Opposing_U.S._Position https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governmental_positions_on_th... I'm sceptical that the population that was "tricked" back then wouldn't be just as easily swayed nowadays. Political affiliation is largely an emotional matter to a great mass of people, and rationality has a limited role in it.

Clubber 5y ago
>Sorry but there was enormous international pushback against it Sure, there was domestic pushback too, but the "trusted" news sources actually countered that pushback by not questioning the government line and bolstered the whole WMD fear mongering. The NYT actually apologized for it after the fact to try to save their reputation. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/may/26/pressandpublishing.usnews https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/may/26/pressandpublis... The NYT, et al also refused to publish the Snowden revelations until they absolutely had to (after the guardian pushed it). Same with the Clinton/Lewinsky thing. They refused to report on the Hunter Biden laptop either, which, like it or not, is "fit to print." There were also quite a few anti-Assange articles if I recall.