Barrel-chested men donning stars and stripes like bandoliers across their chests march on large posters. A factory worker flexes her bicep under a rolled sleeve, her face equal parts proud and brave. Bold type. Primary colors. Energetic illustrations.
For many, these are the familiar images of propaganda, a hallmark of a bygone era where the war of ideas rivaled, and even supplanted, the war of arms. Propaganda is any message that aims to promote a cause or point of view. These posters set the guidelines for society, encouraging citizens to serve, to ration, to fill the factories, to buy war bonds, and the list goes on.
Despite its notoriety, it can be easy to dismiss propaganda as a thing of the past. Given the highly politicized climate contemporary audiences find themselves in, and considering the new communication roles that modern professional writers are filling, it is important to keep one idea central in the minds of Americans: propaganda is not dead.
How Propaganda Has Changed
As with all forms of communication, propaganda has shifted with the advent of new technology. Gone are the days of large prints stapled onto telephone poles and corkboards. Now, messages can be shared to thousands and even millions of people through digital mediums like social media, aggregate websites, streaming services and media production companies.
In its heyday, propaganda had a recognizable style to it, a cartoonish appeal and primary colors that begged to be noticed. Now, it appears in more subtle versions like a sensationalized (or outright false) headline, a partisan-sponsored YouTube ad or an innocent-looking meme on Facebook.
Modern-Day Examples
There are an infinite number of examples of modern-day propaganda, both liberal and conservative, American and foreign, domestic and international. The US intelligence community has released multiple reports about Russian operatives using social media to create messages intended to influence US elections.
But not all propaganda is created equal. With the distribution and ease-of-access to broadcast technology, many media companies do this same type of ideological influence with partisan politics. Just by looking at some article and video titles, the point becomes self-evident. Listed below are several headlines taken from both conservative and liberal media groups:
- “Phil Robertson: What Liberals Did to Kavanaugh Is SATANIC to the Core,” CRTV
- “An NRA-Sponsored Band Played At The Las Vegas Music Festival Right Before The Shooting,” Occupy Democrats
- “Democrat Katie Porter Wants to Turn CA-45 Blue, Force California Gun Control on Whole Country,” Breitbart
- “Trump Administration Is Considering New Rules to Flat Out Deny Transgender Identity,” Slate
This is our contemporary war of ideas. These titles are not blatant in their intention. They are not flashy. They are not decorated with colorful drawings on huge displays. They are not sponsored by governmental organizations. But with the new ways people share information, propaganda does not have to be.
Professional Writing’s Role in Propaganda
Behind each of the examples above is a person who carefully chose words and a thumbnail to fit the message they were creating. The authors wrote their article or script with a call to action in mind. And picking up the torch, each of these professional writers submitted their message to the public discourse with the intention of influencing whoever comes across it.
Professional writers are trained in communication. Even the Professional Writing program here at UAB teaches students the essentials to effective propaganda. Students learn how to make a message visually and logically appealing, how to consider an audience and how to write with purpose.
No, UAB is not a propaganda production company or some hive teaching students the dangerous art of eloquence. However, it is a university with a skilled staff that generates highly-capable, motivated communicators.
With the proliferation of broadcast technology, capability and motivation are the only obstacles now that prevent people from abusing a powerful voice. And so, students in the Professional Writing program are a safety pin away from controlling the masses and destroying the world.
The Big Takeaway
Today’s professional writing students are the next at the helm. Propaganda is not just flyers on a wall or a banner on a website; it is not simply colorful pictures that are emotionally provocative. Writers possess the tools to mobilize audiences, which means that they must be aware of their influence and responsible for the power of the written word.
