Goebbels' Propaganda Principle #2

Photo by Ajeet Mestry on Unsplash

Propaganda Must Be Planned and Executed By Only One Authority

That Authority Must Issue all the Propaganda Directives

Goebbels thought that propaganda follows policy. First, set the policy. Then create propaganda directives that implement the policy, including project plans, distribution lists and timetables. These directives “suggested how an item should be interpreted” or “ignored.” See Leonard Doob’s Goebbels’ Principles of Propaganda.

An item might be a photograph.

The above photo is one that gave hope to the British because it showed St. Paul’s Cathedral still standing even after a heavy bombing of London by the Nazis. Now look at this one.

This photo was used by the Nazis to show Germans how effective their bombing campaign was. It’s the same building.

So a key feature of propaganda is consistency with a policy and an organized approach to distribution. All of the messaging ties back to the policy it is supposed to promote.