Monday 3 May 2010

Propaganda...... sorry I mean public diplomacy!!!

public diplomacy is just a polite word for propaganda, both can be defined as "institutionalised spreading of information designed to persuade its intended audience to think and behave in a certain manner"(businessdictionary.com). The fact that the word propaganda has a bad reputation is in my opinion the only difference between the two terms. The word propaganda is usually associated with lies and deceit because of the historical context in which it was used, propaganda was mainly used during conflict period such as the world wars and the cold war, due to this the word propaganda is usually associated with conflict periods and subversion , so to escape from this association the term public diplomacy was coined up by people who want to use propaganda techniques on their public or publics in foreign countries without the negative connotations associated with propaganda.
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3 comments:

  1. Steven Curtis3 May 2010 at 15:10

    That's a very clear and concise account equating public diplomacy with propaganda. But what do you say to analysts such as Shaun Riordan who think that engaging in dialogue with foreign publics is a central plank of successful public diplomacy? This emphasis on dialogue suggests one area in which public diplomacy differs from propaganda.

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  2. Cruise Control Boutique7 May 2010 at 03:10

    I of course agree with you about propaganda in an academic context this might not be true but from where i stand most governments and states have used public diplomacy for their own interest and goals.

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  3. Alex11 May 2010 at 08:36

    I have to agree with Steven's point about Riordan, as I think public diplomacy is a hugely important tool in diplomatic practice, and engaging with foreign public's is one of the best ways to do this. I think the reason that propaganda is used as a negative term is because it is a technique that has been employed by leaders to try and manipulate public's, and has often been used on their own people as well as those of other states. It often has more serious connotations attached to it than public diplomacy does.

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