BF2S Forums How can we best combat propaganda?

its said that if you keep repeating a lie the lie eventually becomes part of the truth... Look at the Media posting information on WMD's and the Hunt for Osama this was sensationalized for months and once the tool had been used have we heard anything about it since ?

No its all died down and in the future people will be saying u know that the US invaded Iraq to get rid of WMD's? And the other half will be saying it was to free the Iraqi people.

This is the disparity between the information we are fed. And all media companies do it for example here in South Africa we have SABC (South African Broadcasting Company) now they are meant to be free and fair and non bias. But this is Africa and well money talks just like every where else. We have had the government intervene when an article that might be particularly damaging to a major politician has been put forward.

Just like CNN was America's point of view on the War in Iraq we didn't see CNN doing articles on the plight of the people who's houses where destroyed or lost family members during bombings. The news agencies play down "collateral damage" as it can negatively affect the view points of people back home.

I'm sure that US citizens wouldn't want to see maimed children in the hospital all the time. Its nicer to watch the bombs drop and go boom all the Amazing Flash and Awe campaign is brilliant for TV ratings the rating go down as soon as u show the real affects of the bombs...

We can't belive everything we read and see in the news as fact. The general populace might but I'm going to try and keep an open mind at all times... there is always two sides to the story...

I do not know that there is a best way to combat propaganda. Most everything  that we see has some sort of spin on it, weather it is blatant or not. From religion to politics to business everyone is always after something, whether it trying to get you to buy something or subscribe to their ideologies. From the time we are small children until the day we die we are constantly bombarded with peoples opinion, weather given outright or carefully weaved into whatever message they may be giving you.

The best I can suggest is to take everything on a situation by situation basis. A good example of this is politics. Now I am a Libertarian, thats my preference, you can agree with my views or not, it truly makes little difference to me. What I find disturbing are the people who buy in 100% into what their party's leaders say and do. This of course is a product ( At least in America ) of our government school system who in my opinion is one of the biggest propaganda machines in this country, however they do this in the carefully weaved method I mentioned a minute ago.  This comes from the fact that most teachers do not simply present the facts (Math and Language excluded) but like to throw their own opinions into the mix which can cloud the issue. If you hear something often enough it will usually stick with you and possibly may change your attitude on any given issue. The people who take everything the leaders of their party say as gospel generally fail to see that the other party has some valid points and by failing to consider things from a variety of angles will lead to an incomplete picture and will often lead to the spin being placed in the message when they relate it to others. This constant passing on of skewed information I believe is the root to the political propaganda machine.