Propaganda Politicians and Propaganda Politicians

Propaganda

Politicians and Propaganda

Politicians are able to use propaganda to influence society. The word use and statements made influence people to view an issue a certain way. One recent example of this was seen in President George W. Bush's response to North Korea's missile crisis. An article on CNN that describes the response shows several examples of propaganda.

The first example seen is in the picture and caption used. The photo is of George Bush and shows him smiling and looking relaxed. The caption underneath says that "Bush is using diplomatic means to put pressure on North Korea after the missile tests." The picture used creates the idea that Bush is not taking a strong stand or forcing Korea to agree to stop the tests. Instead, it suggests that he is kindly asking that they stop the tests. This is propaganda because it creates an impression of how Bush is responding to the situation. If a photo of Bush looking serious was used, it would suggest that he was taking a tougher stance. The caption also says that Bush is using "diplomatic means." This contrasts with the North Koreans using weapons and makes it appear that Bush is being reasonable and calm and North Korea is not.

Another part of the article that is propaganda is where Bush says that the Korean leader either wants people to fear him or pay attention to him. This is propaganda because it is not backed by fact, but is only an assumption about the purpose of the missile tests. This assumption makes it seem that the North Korean leader will be a problem in the future and that his actions need to be stopped there.

Even more propaganda is seen where the weapons testing is described. The articles notes that seven missiles were fired and refers to a long-range missile that "some fear is capable of hitting the western United States." This statement does not mention who has this fear or whether it is correct. However, it does create the idea that Americans have something to fear. The article also describes how the article went out of control shortly after launch. This suggests that the North Koreans do not have the technology to manage their weapons and this creates a sense of risk. The article then says that "failed so quickly that the United States was never able to ascertain in what direction it was headed." This creates doubt about where the missile was headed. It also creates the idea that the missile may have been aimed at a certain place and not just a test missile aimed at sea. These statements are not backed by fact. They are propaganda aimed at creating fear in people. It is the uncertainty of where the missile was headed that makes the statement effective propaganda. Every person reading the article could fear that it was headed to where they live.

The final propaganda in the article is related to what the article says about North Korea. It describes North Korea defending its missile talks and "promising more to come." This vague statement gives few details about North Korea's reasoning and does not offer any explanation. The statement that they promise there is more to come creates the idea that there is something to fear. This seems to suggest that action should be taken to stop North Korea now.