The Propaganda Machine

How Lies Shape Our World

Jacques Ellul defines Propaganda: The Formation of Men’s Attitudes not as mere lies or misinformation, but as a systematic, deliberate effort to shape perceptions, manipulate beliefs, and direct behavior to serve the interests of those in Power. Propaganda is not just about persuasion; it’s about creating a reality where dissent becomes unthinkable, where the individual surrenders critical thought to a manufactured consensus. It’s a psychological and sociological weapon, thriving in environments where technology, socioeconomic structures, and normative conditions align to amplify its reach. A psyop as its commonly referred to in spook circles, and a fan favorite in codifying authority in the 21st century.

In the post-War on Terror, post-Great Financial Crisis world, the United States and the broader West have become fertile ground for propaganda’s insidious spread. Our media, once heralded as the Fourth Estate, has often morphed into a mouthpiece for power, and the term “conspiracy theorist” has been weaponized to silence those who dare question the narrative. Much of what we’re fed as “news” is propaganda, and its track record is a trail of wreckage.

Ellul’s framework is chillingly precise. Propaganda requires a centralized society with advanced technology, mass communication, and a population conditioned to trust authority. It thrives on:

Totalization: Propaganda must saturate every aspect of life—media, education, culture—leaving no room for alternative perspectives. Simplification: Complex realities are reduced to binary narratives—good vs. evil, us vs. them—to make obedience instinctive. Psychological Manipulation: It exploits emotions like fear, hope, or dogmatic morality to bypass reason. Continuity: Propaganda is not a one-off; it’s a relentless campaign to maintain control over thought. Technological and Socioeconomic Conditions: It demands a literate, urbanized society with mass media infrastructure, where information flows top-down and dissent can be marginalized.

Post-World War II, the West checked every box. The rise of radio, television, and later the internet created unprecedented channels for centralized messaging. Urbanization and literacy rates soared, making populations accessible to mass media. The Cold War cemented a culture of trust in government and media as bulwarks against communism, while the War on Terror and the 2008 financial crisis deepened reliance on “experts” to navigate crises. Today, digital algorithms amplify propaganda by curating echo chambers, ensuring that dissenting voices are buried under a deluge of approved narratives.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the weaponization of the term “conspiracy theorist.” Coined and popularized by the CIA in the 1960s to discredit critics of the Warren Commission’s report on JFK’s assassination, the phrase was a masterstroke of propaganda and deception. Declassified documents reveal how the agency pushed media outlets to label skeptics as paranoid, unhinged, or dangerous, effectively turning truth-seekers into pariahs. The term’s staying power is remarkable—call someone a “conspiracy theorist” today, and the room goes quiet. It’s a scarlet letter, designed to shut down inquiry without engaging it. Yet, as we’ve seen, many “conspiracy theories” have been proven true: MKUltra, Tuskegee, COINTELPRO, and Operation Northwoods, to name a few. The label doesn’t refute evidence; it buries it. Or so it was thought to until more recently.

Let’s look at the recent track record of so-called “news” outlets, which Ellul would recognize as propaganda machines. In my lifetime alone, we’ve seen: Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq (2003): The Bush administration, backed by mainstream media, sold the public on Iraq’s nonexistent WMDs. The New York Times and others amplified faulty intelligence from sources like “Curveball,” later exposed as a fraud. The result? A war costing over a million lives and trillions of dollars, with no WMDs found. The media’s mea culpa came too late.

Tobacco Industry Cover-Up. For decades, Big Tobacco concealed evidence linking smoking to cancer, with complicit media downplaying risks. It took lawsuits and whistleblowers to expose the truth in the 2000s.

COVID-19 Origins. The lab-leak hypothesis was dismissed as a conspiracy theory in 2020, with outlets like The Washington Post and CNN echoing the “Russian disinformation” line. Yet, by 2023, the Department of Energy and FBI leaned toward the lab-leak as plausible, revealing how media suppressed legitimate debate.

The Hunter Biden Laptop. In 2020, the New York Post’s story on Hunter Biden’s laptop was censored by Twitter and dismissed by 51 intelligence officials as Russian propaganda. The FBI later confirmed the laptop’s authenticity, and 2024 court documents validated key emails. The media’s silence was deafening.

Russia Gate. The Steele dossier, hyped by outlets like MSNBC, fueled years of speculation about Trump-Russia collusion. Investigations found no conclusive evidence, yet the narrative dominated headlines, shaping public perception.

Ivermectin as a “Horse Wormer.” During COVID, media outlets like CNBC mocked ivermectin as a veterinary drug to discredit its potential use, paving the way for mRNA vaccine EUAs. Studies later suggested ivermectin’s efficacy, exposing the media’s role in pushing a singular narrative.

These aren’t isolated failures; they’re symptoms of a system where media serves power, not truth. Ellul’s totalization is clear: dissenting voices were marginalized, while approved narratives dominated airwaves and algorithms.

As war drums beat again—this time targeting Iran with familiar “defenders of freedom” rhetoric—let’s reflect on the U.S.’s post-WWII track record. The State Department and intelligence community have a history of missteps and manipulations: Bay of Ton “‘kin (1964): The Gulf of Tonkin incident, later revealed as exaggerated or fabricated, justified the Vietnam War’s escalation. Declassified documents confirmed the pretext was shaky. USS Liberty (1967): The Israeli attack on a U.S. ship was downplayed as an accident, despite evidence suggesting otherwise. Survivors’ accounts were silenced, a classic propaganda move. WMDs in Iraq (2003): As mentioned, the absence of WMDs exposed intelligence failures or deliberate deception. Libya and Syria: The 2011 Libya intervention and Syria’s proxy war of 2014 were sold as humanitarian missions, yet left both nations in chaos, killed hundreds of thousands, and displaced millions leading to the destabilization of Europe and beyond. The media rarely questioned the motives.

What do these regimes—Vietnam, Iraq, Libya, Syria—have in common? Many lacked central banks tied to Western financial systems, a pattern some link to geopolitical agendas (though this remains speculative). The point is, propaganda has consistently justified “forever wars” by simplifying complex geopolitical realities into moral crusades.

The internet, as Ellul might predict, is both a propaganda amplifier and a counterforce. Algorithms on platforms like YouTube and X can suppress dissenting voices, yet they also allow unfiltered perspectives to emerge. Figures like Bret and Heather Weinstein, who questioned COVID narratives, Dr. Robert Malone, who critiqued mRNA vaccines, and Jeffrey Sachs, who exposed U.S. foreign policy’s contradictions, gained traction online when mainstream outlets ignored them. Even Alex Jones, for all his bombast, was right about 9/11’s inconsistencies and atrazine’s environmental impact [particularly on frogs] years before mainstream validation. Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan have given these voices platforms, proving that the internet can bypass gatekeepers—if only temporarily.

So how do we navigate this propaganda-saturated world? Stress-test the sources. Look at their track record. During COVID, did they parrot “trust the science” without scrutiny, or did they evolve with new evidence? Outlets that mocked ivermectin or the lab-leak theory but never walked back their errors are suspect. Figures like Malone, who faced censorship yet were later vindicated, pass the test. The media’s refusal to self-correct—unlike, say, Rogan’s willingness to platform dissent—reveals their role as propagandists, not truth-seekers.

Ellul warns that propaganda lulls us into a “hypnotic, docile state.” The antidote? Think for yourself. Cross-reference primary sources, seek out raw data, and listen to those who’ve been right before, even if they’re labeled “fringe.” The internet makes this possible, but it requires effort. Propaganda thrives on apathy.

As we face another potential war with Iran, the propaganda machine is gearing up. The same outlets that sold us WMDs, dismissed the Hunter Biden laptop, and mocked dissenters will spin new narratives. Ellul’s axioms—totalization, simplification, manipulation—explain why. The West’s technological and socioeconomic conditions have made propaganda not just possible but inevitable. But we’re not powerless. The internet, flawed as it is, paired with our First Amendment gives us tools to seek truth. Stress-test the news. Trust those with a proven track record. Above all, think for yourself. The propagandists are counting on you not to.