Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Propaganda for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Propaganda" — noun, pronounced /ˌprɒpəˈɡændə/, with the stress on "gan".
Narrator: Propaganda is information, often false or one-sided, spread to persuade people to support a cause.
Narrator: In plain English, it's biased messaging.
Narrator: It comes from the Latin congregatio de propaganda fide, a Church committee for spreading the faith.
Narrator: A common collocation is "wartime propaganda", which describes persuasive posters and broadcasts in war.
Narrator: It differs from "advertising", because propaganda usually serves politics and hides the truth.
Narrator: Today it often spreads through social media and fake accounts.
Narrator: Politics, history, media studies and security all rely on the word.
Narrator: So remember: propaganda spreads a message by bending the truth.
Speaker A: How can I spot propaganda?
Speaker B: Look for emotion without evidence! PROPAGANDA comes from a Latin phrase for spreading the faith.
Speaker A: So it began with the Church?
Speaker B: Yes, in 1622.
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "The posters were wartime propaganda", history. "State TV broadcast propaganda", politics. "Don't fall for online propaganda", media literacy.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Propaganda is uncountable, so say a piece of propaganda, not a propaganda.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: Disinformation is its cousin, spin is its twin, and publicity is the milder alternative, but propaganda keeps its persuasive power!
Speaker B: Let's use "propaganda" in AI prompts — useful for media literacy and history teaching.
Speaker A: How would media literacy use it?
Speaker B: Analyse techniques.
Prompt: Identify the propaganda techniques used in this political advert, such as fear or bandwagon.
Speaker A: And history teaching?
Speaker B: Explore sources.
Prompt: Create a lesson analysing two Second World War propaganda posters.
Speaker A: Could it help moderation?
Speaker B: Yes, coordinated campaigns.
Prompt: Flag accounts posting identical propaganda messages within minutes of each other.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: Research.
Prompt: Summarise how modern propaganda uses short video, in five bullet points.
Propaganda — meaning in Arabic & definition More P courses GL Dictionary