Propaganda
How We Say It
propΒ·ΙΒ·ganΒ·dΙ
Where It Comes From
Latin Congregatio de Propaganda Fide β the Congregation for Propagating the Faith, established by Pope Gregory XV in 1622. Originally meant the spreading of Catholic doctrine. Secular and pejorative uses developed during and after World War I.
How It's Been Used
Almost always attributed to opponents. 'That's propaganda' functions as a dismissal β but the word originally just meant organized persuasion, not necessarily false persuasion. All advertising, all political communication, and all education involve organized persuasion. The question is always: whose?