John Pilger’s quest for truth amidst the cacophony of official narratives remains ever-relevant, urging us to scrutinise media’s role in shaping perceptions
Amongst other great minds, last year we lost another exceptional man who was larger than life. But he left us with the essence to comprehend how the media evolved and aligned with the power to eliminate the powerless. He is John Pilger, who endeavoured to make others understand the everyday bitter truth about propaganda. I believe it’s important to borrow some of his ideas and pen a few thoughts needed for today.
Not only the noise and disturbing content, but also our day-to-day news suppliers and other social media users conveniently monetize oppression and, as Huxley says, ‘adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think’. Consequently, the state, as the regulatory body based on ethics and morals, has been weakened. Take our food supply, for example. A few companies are controlling everything by hurting small producers. What they don’t realize is that by the time regulation gets enacted and filters down to the farm level, it always hurts small producers and helps the large producers. It’s the revolving door. Don’t eat healthily; only eat junk. There’s only a small group of companies that control the entire food production. They’re not only putting everybody out of business but also prioritizing profits over equal distribution. They are systematically manipulating the very right to food of living beings. Propaganda is the vein that follows the blood of this manipulation. The same goes for others.
The First World War, a catastrophic bloodbath claiming 20 million lives and leaving 21 million wounded, saw a desperate thirst for truth amidst relentless propaganda. Prime Minister David Lloyd George confided to C.P. Scott, editor of The Guardian, that if the public truly grasped the reality of the conflict, it would cease instantly. Yet, the British populace, starved of authentic information, clamoured for genuine news amidst the flood of official narratives.
In today’s era of incessant news cycles, wars and armed conflicts persist unchecked serving as grim realities. Delves into the unseen dimensions of modern conflict, scrutinising the role of media, particularly in the West and other liberal democracies that hailed to protect and promote the emancipation of mankind, in perpetuating and justifying rapacious wars, is the need of the moment. Edward Bernays, a pioneer in propaganda, highlighted the power of manipulating the masses and shaping public opinion through covert means. His involvement in the US Committee on Public Information during World War I heralded the birth of modern propaganda machinery, cementing the insidious influence of media in shaping perceptions of war and governance.
Edward Bernays’ ingenious manipulation tactics disregarded facts in favour of emotional manipulation, pioneering a strategy to sway public opinion by tugging at unconscious desires.
Utilising symbols like the Statue of Liberty in ruins or associating smoking with women’s liberation, he forged powerful connections in consumers’ minds, irrespective of truth. His legacy endured, evolving into a sophisticated machinery of war propaganda exemplified by numerous conflicts orchestrated by powerful nations such as the United States. The media, once heralded as a beacon of freedom, became entangled in the Pentagon’s webs, complicit in disseminating illusions and false narratives. Had journalists rigorously questioned authority rather than regurgitating official statements, perhaps the calamity of war could have been averted.
The Iraq invasion, as Pilger observed, orchestrated through the doctrine of shock and awe, aimed to instil terror and dismantle the country’s infrastructure akin to the devastating impact of atomic bombs on Japan. However, this campaign of destruction was veiled in layers of deception, with embedded journalists serving as conduits for the sanitised narrative dictated by the Pentagon and the Ministry of Defence. Despite sporadic glimpses of truth, the pervasive influence of embedded journalism and the echo chamber of 24-hour news perpetuated illusions and distorted realities, enabling the war machine to operate unchecked.
The toppling of Saddam Hussein’s statue hailed as a symbol of liberation, concealed the brutal conquest underway, meticulously orchestrated to exploit media optics and control the narrative. The complicity of journalists, embedded within military units, stifled dissenting voices and prioritised official narratives, shielding the public from the grim realities of war. In the fog of misinformation and propaganda, critical scrutiny faltered, allowing the machinery of war to proceed unabated, casting a shadow over journalistic integrity and the pursuit of truth.
During the symbolic event of the Americans’ arrival in Baghdad, the manipulation behind the toppling of Saddam Hussein’s statue went untold, emblematic of the control exerted over media optics. The image of an American soldier draping the flag over the statue’s face signified America’s assertion of dominance over Iraq, echoing the sentiments of ownership and conquest. Meanwhile, the invasion hailed as a triumph by Blair and Bush, failed to depict the grim reality of civilian casualties and destruction on the ground, with atrocities like the assault on Fallujah largely omitted from mainstream coverage.
Today’s Gaza, under Israeli control, where just a few days ago seven aid workers, along with other unarmed civilians, were killed, is a continuation of this pattern and a consequence of media behaviour. The prime responsibility of media as voices for the victims, shedding light on the untold suffering amidst the sanitised narratives propagated by mainstream media, has been systematically veiled. In contrast to embedded journalists, who may inadvertently perpetuate propaganda, independent reporters like Wilfred Graham Burchett have historically challenged official narratives, uncovering truths that authorities sought to conceal.
The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki marked not the end of conflict, but the beginning of a nuclear arms race and the era of the Cold War, characterised by the perpetual threat of annihilation. Secret conversations, such as the exchange between President Nixon and Henry Kissinger, reveal the willingness of leaders to contemplate the use of nuclear weapons, underscoring the gravity of the global situation.
Despite the absence of a clear nuclear threat from Iraq, the Bush administration, bolstered by sensationalist rhetoric from figures like Colin Powell, and Victoria Nuland in the Biden administration manipulated public perception to justify the invasion or covert operations for “regime change”, with mainstream media outlets perpetuating false claims and contributing to the dissemination of propaganda. The journalistic failures in scrutinising government narratives reflect a broader failure to uphold the truth and challenge authority, ultimately leading to disastrous consequences.
The repercussions of events in Syria, followed by Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya surpass personal sentiments, constituting a colossal crime. Aren’t we experiencing the same in Ukraine? Journalists, albeit unwittingly, become accomplices to such crimes, contributing to the dissemination of propaganda. Despite illustrious careers, figures like Dan Rather acknowledge the presence of fear within newsrooms, stemming from concerns about job security, institutional pressures, and patriotic labels. Rather’s admission reflects a broader need for introspection within the journalism community, urging a courageous examination of past failures to uphold truth and integrity in reporting. This is what we keep forgetting, or rather, deliberately ignoring.
Indifference to learn from history, led us to this recurrence of catastrophes and keeping the powerful in power. Learning from history isn’t merely a quaint idea; it’s an imperative for societies striving to advance and avoid catastrophic missteps. Herodotus, the revered ‘Father of History’, echoes across the ages, reminding us of the historian’s solemn duty to rectify distortions of truth.
Yet, in today’s world saturated with mass media and communication tools, the dissemination of factual information morphs into a battleground. Cicero’s sagacity warns against the folly of ignorance, spotlighting the perpetual infancy of those who dismiss the lessons of the past. Marx’s incisive analysis cautions of history’s cyclical nature, where tragedies replay as farces if wisdom remains unheeded. Santayana’s sombre reflection underlines the dire consequences of historical amnesia, dooming societies to repeat their blunders. Churchill’s declaration accentuates the peril awaiting those who ignore historical counsel.
Even Twain’s astute observation, that history may not repeat itself verbatim but often rhymes, highlights the urgency of identifying patterns to avert folly. But what if we are truly entertaining ourselves with this folly?
(The writer is a Sri Lankan journalist. Views are personal)
