By Vivekananda Pattanayak in Bhubaneswar, July 11, 2026: Goebbels, the Minister of Propaganda of Nazi Germany of Hitler believed that “Lie repeated thousand times becomes truth”. In history invariably the culture of the defeated power influences the victor. When the Romans defeated the Greeks, they adopted the Greek philosophy. The irony of history is that the US led Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany took a lot of scientific technology after their surrender.

Many Nazi German scientists, engineers and technologists who had highly developed skill and technology remained under custody as POWs and exempted from the Nuremburg trial and used for the American military industry. Curiously they also adopted in particular their propaganda culture.

Since the end of the Second World War, the American government wielded phenomenal influence on the global institutions until the rise of the Soviet Union. The American media had worldwide reach having its impacton the newly independent countries. Media bias is usually noticed during the wars. Even many Western media become extremely nationalistic bordering on jingoism.The Western media never revealed during the war in Korea and Vietnam success of North Korea and China and North Vietnam and Vietminh and later Vietcong.

Although BBC has earned reputation as a highly independent and objective media outlet but when it comes to the involvement of UK in a war, its reputation wanes in making an independent coverage. Even when the country is a part of the Western Alliance, or associated with US, its reporting loses credibility. This culture has spread to many countries in particular to the fledgling democracies. In some countries political executives exploit the media to their advantage to build personality cult even in the democracies though the absence of media autonomy reduces their rank in the democratic index prepared by global institutions.

Cold war period witnessed the rival Blocs resorting to aggressive publicity which also bordered on propaganda.While the West accused the Communist Bloc ofresorting tobrainwashingof people by exercising absolute controlover media the Soviet accused that people in the West did not get authentic and unbiased informationbecause the media remained under the grip of capitalists who were supported by ruling elite. FOX news and CNN reflect how one channel supports a particular ideology while other is much more transparent and independent.

Undoubtedly there has been mind boggling change in spread of information due to internet and explosive growth of social media. In recent times business houses who fund political parties try to acquire control over newspapers and TV channels. No wonder many discerning people avoid watching some channels. It seems some social media channels are becoming more and more popular. The disturbing trend is that in many democracies ruling dispensations are encouraging the new instrumentsof propagandaeven to the extent of giving less coverage to the voice of dissenters and ceding inconspicuous coverage to opposition parties including their icons.

Oft stated expression “the truth is the first victim of war” manifested eloquently during the Iran and America-Isreal war. When one heard BBC and saw photographic images, one could see big scale devastation on Iran. Nothing was reported on the losses and destruction on the side of US and Israel. In spite of the social media promoted in US “Truth Social” asserted adnauseam that the Iranian nuclear establishment has been completely destroyed, navy is at the bottom of the sea, air defence has been completely wiped out and missiles have been totally decimated while describing losses of Iran, the real truth is slowly emerging after the ceasefire giving a truer and clearer appearance of the changing balance of power in the region due to attacks and counter attacks including blockade over blockade.

AlJazeera has earned a reputation over a period of being more neutral on the Western involved conflicts although during the recent conflict the media restrained itself although it gave access to the Iranian academia and news reporters throwing some light on the Iranian side of story.

Hundreds of Israelis had fled from their places and many at the instance of evacuation program since the war began.These were hardly reported in the mainstream media during the war. Reports have now surfaced on significant depletion of munitions including drones and missiles from the American side. Hence there was a pause. Equally startling is the report of Justice Muralidharan on the genocide in Gaza. Incidentally, he was the Chief Justice of the Odisha High Court. He was assigned this task by no other person than the Secretary General of the United Nations. For understandable reason the so-called free media did not give adequate coverage in the “vibrant free societies” and democracies.

Post ceasefire negotiations reflect visible erosion of US strengthmore particularly through the contents in the so-called MOU signed significantly at Versailles, the place where vanquished Germany in theWorld War I had signed the humiliating peace treaty. Although there is celebration of two hundred years of independence of America the question arises how their Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces can hide the humiliation of Middle East conflict no matter what engines of propaganda he may employ including intervening with FIFA tooverturn the Red Card decisionin the World Cup tournament.

Very rightly, Sepp Blatter asked should Red Card decision be overtaken by political phone call. Readers are reminded of the Olympics of 1936 in Berlin when Hitler could not believe that the Black American Jessie Owens could win the gold medal beating the German athlete. Equally he was astonished when India under the leadership of legendary Dhyan Chand defeated Germany by 8-1 in hockey destroying the Aryan supremacy hypothesis driven by sheer propaganda.

Usually when a political leader is heading a nation facing economic crisis, military loss and diplomatic isolation he tries to propup his image through publicity and propaganda using hapless media. The Middle East continues to be volatile with renewed hostilities. War in Ukraine remains inconclusive. Gaza looks ghostly.Venezuela claimed by Trump as its 51st State suffered most deadly earthquake. While India sent field hospital to give succour to the unfortunates there is propaganda in US the country is under the best spell since its birth.

Is the propaganda way forward?