Propaganda: what can we trust?

It is said that the first casualty of war is truth, because who is really telling the truth - is it those attacking or those who are defending themselves? Can we actually believe anything at all? If so, how do we know what that is? In every war, there is propaganda used, but what exactly is it?

Accessibility icon Propaganda: what can we trust?

The first victim of war is truth

Truth is the first victim in a war. How can you know if someone is really telling the truth? Are they attacking someone or maybe defending themselves? Can we believe anything at all, and how can we know? Propaganda is used in all wars. But what is it?

En mann står med en ropert og leder en demonstrasjon.
En mann står med en ropert og leder en demonstrasjon.

What is propaganda?

In war you can find both a physical side and a propaganda war. Propaganda is when someone affects people’s feelings and thoughts in a strong visual way, through news or speeches.

There is no dialogue, and information is spread through one-way communication. The goal is to spread a political or religious message so that other people believe it is true.

Where can you find propaganda?

Propaganda is spread through mass media such as TV, radio, social media, online news, posters, advertisements and films.

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En skygge av en person står bak et TV-apparat og holder fiktive seere fast med tråder.
En skygge av en person står bak et TV-apparat og holder fiktive seere fast med tråder.

Is propaganda always a bad thing?

The Nazis used propaganda before and during the Second World War to persuade the German population and others that their views were the right ones. Joseph Goebbels was the Minister of Propaganda. His job was to make people see Adolf Hitler as a good leader. He also promoted Nazism and the hatred of Jews. Today most people think that propaganda is a negative word.

📷  The Nazi Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels giving a speech.

A damaging tool

The word “propaganda” means to spread. It is not a negative word in itself, but when it leads to lies and manipulation, and in the worst case, the loss of human lives, it can be a damaging tool.

A positive tool

Propaganda can also be used for good things. For example, musicians can use their music to spread messages about good causes. In 2021 a large TV concert called “Hev stemmen”  (Raise your voice) was arranged in Norway. Many Norwegian musicians used this platform to speak out against racism.

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Nazistenes propagandaminister, Joseph Goebbels, holder tale.
Nazistenes propagandaminister, Joseph Goebbels, holder tale.

Bruce Springsteen’s “American Skin (41 Shots)”

The song “American Skin (41 Shots)” is about the ideas that Black Americans wrongly face in their lives. This song was written after the murder of Amadou Diallo, an unarmed 23-year-old Guinean man who was shot by the police in New York City in 1999.

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Music can change the world
Ansikter laget av papir i ulike farger.
Ansikter laget av papir i ulike farger.

How is propaganda used?

The goal of propaganda is to reach as many people as possible with a specific message. One example is the coronavirus pandemic. The Norwegian Prime Minister gave a speech to motivate as many as possible to be vaccinated. This is positive propaganda. But the anti-vaccination campaign may have  seen this as negative propaganda. Those of us who listened to the speech of the Prime Minister had the chance to decide for ourselves what we thought.

Different techniques

How can we make people think in the way we want? There are different techniques that can be used. Here are a few of them:

  • The message is based on something that “everyone” already knows: It is dangerous to use a mobile phone when driving
  • Saying to your people that they are racist for example: You are just like Hitler
  • One-sided presentation of an issue or view: We have no use for wolves in Norway.
  • Creating “fake news”: An online newspaper is made to look identical to a country’s main broadcaster so that people are more likely to believe what it says.
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Portrett av Jonas Gahr Støre
Portrett av Jonas Gahr Støre

Taking advantage of people’s feelings

Example 1

Propaganda will often take advantage of our feelings. We are influenced by people who mock others, have outbursts, or use strong emotions to get their message through. When Adolf Hitler delivered a speech, he was quite often angry, and people became afraid to disagree with him.

📷  Adolf Hitler i Weimar in 1933.
Adolf Hitler i Weimar 1933.
Adolf Hitler i Weimar 1933.

Taking advantage of people’s feelings

Example 2

When Greta Thunberg went on strike for climate change in 2018, many people became interested in her message and liked it. But there were also others who didn’t like it at all and got angry. On the next page, you can see a clip from her speech at the UN Climate Summit in New York on 23 September 2019.

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Trust and credibility

If we trust someone, we will believe most of what that person says and does. Who do you trust? Most people in Norway trust the King. Most people will trust him when he makes a speech.

Many people also have faith in Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of NATO. When he speaks, people trust what he says. He is prepared and sounds believable in his speeches.

 

Natos generalsekretær Jens Stoltenberg (2022).
Natos generalsekretær Jens Stoltenberg (2022).

Propaganda som politisk verktøy

Propaganda is used to try to direct both friends and enemies. There is a saying that the first loss in war is the truth.  It is almost impossible to know what the truth is during a war. Each side wants to get their message through.

Example 1

As soon as the day after the attack on Norway in 1940, the Germans hung a large banner on the Norwegian Parliament. The banner said: ‘Deutschland siegt an allen Fronten’ meaning “Germany is winning on all fronts.” The goal was to influence people in Oslo to believe that Germany was going to win the war, even if this turned out not to be the case.

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Stortinget i Oslo i 1940 med hakekorsflagg og stort banner med tysk tekst.
Stortinget i Oslo i 1940 med hakekorsflagg og stort banner med tysk tekst.
Example 2

During the war between Russia and Ukraine, a deepfake video was spread on social media. This was a fake video of the Ukrainian president. His face has been manipulated, and it is not his voice. No one knows who made the video. It created confusion, is it real or is it fake? Is this Russian propaganda?

Bombet skolebygning i Ukraina
Bombet skolebygning i Ukraina

Censorship

The authorities can control which news is published, and especially during war, they will do this.

Press censorship is when the authorities decide which news to spread through newspapers and TV.

In the war between Russia and Ukraine, the Russian media could only use Russian sources. Information from other countries was not allowed. What does that do with the truth?

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Freedom of speech – can we say what we like?
Hånd med rød blyant bundet sammen med tau.
Hånd med rød blyant bundet sammen med tau.

Sources:

  • Svendsen, Lars Fredrik Händler; Grue, Jan: retorikk i Store norske leksikon på snl.no.
    Hentet 21. mars 2022 fra https://snl.no/retorikk
  • Elden, John Christian; Mæhlum, Lars: sensur i Store norske leksikon på snl.no.
    Hentet 21. mars 2022 fra https://snl.no/sensur

Media Rights:

    1. Getty Images
    2. Getty Images
    3. Deutsches Bundesarchiv
    4. Getty Images / Bruce Springsteen – YouTube
    5. NTB / Statsministerens kontor
    6. Deutsches Bundesarchiv
    7. European Parliament (CC BY 2.0) / Guardian News – YouTube
    8. NATO
    9. Stortingsarkivet
    10. Getty Images / The Telegraph – YouTube
    11. Getty Images