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Propaganda is often given a bad name, but it basically is a means by which a
person or groups hopes to advance his/their cause.
Basically, there are three kinds of propaganda, "white" propaganda, "gray" propaganda, and "black" propaganda.
White propaganda gives the views and positions of the person or persons who are distributing it. It is typical of the leaflets and calling cards that the RNPA puts out.
Gray propaganda doesn't give a source. An example of "gray" propaganda was the appearance of anti-Catholic pamphlets during the 1960 Wisconsin primary. These were never traced to their source, but they created a lot of sympathy for John F. Kennedy by making it appear as if he was being unfairly vilified by his opponent. The sympathy card is played almost as often as the Race, Age and Gender cards.
An example of "black" propaganda was the appearance of 500,000 postcards during the 1962 gubernatorial campaign in California. These were supposedly from "The Committee for the Preservation of the Democratic Party in California." and were laid out as an opinion poll. A question listed asked the addressee if he knew that Governor Pat Brown was controlled by the "California Democratic Council, " an alleged left-wing front. It later turned out that the Republicans had set up The Committee for the Preservation of the Democratic Party in Califonia to use as a front for themselves.
Another instance of black propaganda, this time by Democrats, and against Democrats, came during the 1972 Florida primaries. A letter, supposedly written by the Muskie crowd went out to Florida voters. They accused his opponents, Jesse Jackson and Hubert Humphrey of sexual perversions. They contained no proof and the letters themselves were hard to pin down for origin. The impression given was that Muskie was making erroneous accusations against his opponents. Obviously, they didn't come from any legitimate Muskie supporters. Their timing was excellent. They appeared only 3 days before the election, giving the Muskie workers no time to check it out. This gave them a devastating impact. Muskie lost.
The point of this article is to advise people in advance that when they receive some propaganda, it might be an attempt to manipulate, rather than an attempt to persuade. We urge you to be ever cognizant of these efforts.
Basically, there are three kinds of propaganda, "white" propaganda, "gray" propaganda, and "black" propaganda.
White propaganda gives the views and positions of the person or persons who are distributing it. It is typical of the leaflets and calling cards that the RNPA puts out.
Gray propaganda doesn't give a source. An example of "gray" propaganda was the appearance of anti-Catholic pamphlets during the 1960 Wisconsin primary. These were never traced to their source, but they created a lot of sympathy for John F. Kennedy by making it appear as if he was being unfairly vilified by his opponent. The sympathy card is played almost as often as the Race, Age and Gender cards.
An example of "black" propaganda was the appearance of 500,000 postcards during the 1962 gubernatorial campaign in California. These were supposedly from "The Committee for the Preservation of the Democratic Party in California." and were laid out as an opinion poll. A question listed asked the addressee if he knew that Governor Pat Brown was controlled by the "California Democratic Council, " an alleged left-wing front. It later turned out that the Republicans had set up The Committee for the Preservation of the Democratic Party in Califonia to use as a front for themselves.
Another instance of black propaganda, this time by Democrats, and against Democrats, came during the 1972 Florida primaries. A letter, supposedly written by the Muskie crowd went out to Florida voters. They accused his opponents, Jesse Jackson and Hubert Humphrey of sexual perversions. They contained no proof and the letters themselves were hard to pin down for origin. The impression given was that Muskie was making erroneous accusations against his opponents. Obviously, they didn't come from any legitimate Muskie supporters. Their timing was excellent. They appeared only 3 days before the election, giving the Muskie workers no time to check it out. This gave them a devastating impact. Muskie lost.
The point of this article is to advise people in advance that when they receive some propaganda, it might be an attempt to manipulate, rather than an attempt to persuade. We urge you to be ever cognizant of these efforts.