How is propaganda used in a democratic society?

Answer 1

Many people equate Propaganda with dictatorships, and certainly that is logical in such a nation. However, propaganda is the spread of somewhat prejudiced news and ideas that can exist in democratic societies as well. In certain situations, such as the war in Iraq, the US government made claims that Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction. Based on the governments ability to use high technology, they became the prevalent source of information on this. As Iraq played some "cat & mouse games, it only caused more concern and fear about the matter. It finally came to a point where, as the leader of the Democratic party said, "we cannot take the chance that the government is wrong". This is a paraphrase of course. Now as in a free society objections were heard and some disbelieved the government. When all was said and done however, the government's view prevailed.

In this example, it is seen how propaganda in a free society can exist.