When Propaganda Became a Dirty Word

With the emergence of systematic, pervasive government information programs and the rise of persuasion as a new profession, the words propaganda and publicity became definitional in the twentieth century. This historical qualitative and quantitative content analysis of the New York Times provides a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournalism history Vol. 49; no. 2; pp. 140 - 157
Main Authors McCluskey, Lindsay M., Hamilton, John Maxwell, Reynolds, Amy
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Las Vegas Routledge 03.04.2023
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
19th century
20th century
Connotation
Content analysis
History
Journalism
Mass media
Persuasion
Propaganda
public relations
Publicity
War
World War I
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Summary:With the emergence of systematic, pervasive government information programs and the rise of persuasion as a new profession, the words propaganda and publicity became definitional in the twentieth century. This historical qualitative and quantitative content analysis of the New York Times provides a basis for understanding the usage of propaganda and publicity during the years leading up to, during, and after World War I. At the turn of the nineteenth century, propaganda had a benign, narrow meaning. Propaganda became a negative word during World War I. Publicity also did not come out of the war unscathed. This research provides a more granular understanding of the emergence of persuasion as a profession and helps the readers understand the forces behind the emergence of mass communication as a field of study.
ISSN:0094-7679
2641-2071
DOI:10.1080/00947679.2023.2203026