2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: The Insane Scenario Unfolding Before Our Eyes [View all]Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)Propaganda is not, on its own, a bad thing. I know that, as a buzzword it means "lies!" but, well, that's not true at all.
All propaganda is is an effort to convince other people of your own point of view. When your dentist tells you that regular brushing prevents cavities, he's engaging in propaganda... propaganda that happens to also be factually true. Someone who's anti-toothpaste might point out that regular brushing can aggravate sensitive teeth and cause gums to bleed... which is also propaganda but is also true.
FOX news and many other sources are indeed propaganda outlets. However, so are Democracy Now! and RTnews and Rachel Maddow. The difference is in the facts underlying the propaganda. Fox News will base its propaganda off lies and falsehoods (and there are difference between lies and falsehoods as well...) while the others I named will keep their spin entirely based on facts and reality.
There does need to be a strong left propaganda outlet. You can "present facts" all you want... it won't be enough. It's like setting a new and exotic food in front of someone, it can be wonderful and delicious, but you'll have to convince them to try it. You have to take those facts you're presenting and make them interesting and worthy of attention, nad you can't do that without spinning htem and dolling htem up a bit; they're still facts, just glossy.