PR vs. Propaganda: what’s the difference? (P.1,8,4,5,13,14)

PR vs. propaganda: what’s the difference?

Harold Laswell: "Propaganda is the control of opinion by significant symbols, or, so to speak, more concretely and less accurately by stories, rumors, reports, pictures, and other forms of social communication. There is a need for a word which means the making of a deliberately one-sided statements to a mass audience. Let us choose 'propaganda' as such a word." 

Charles A. Siepmann:"Propaganda is organized persuasion."

E.L. Bernays: "Propaganda is the consistent, enduring effort to create or shape events to influence the relations of the public to an enterprise, idea or group."

E.L. Bernays: Definition of Public Relations: the attempt by information, persuasion and adjustment, to engineer public support for an activity,cause, movement, or institution.

Public Relations has been defined as the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and understanding between an organization and its publics, according to UK Institute of Public Relations 1987.

Sure, both public relations and propaganda seek to shape perceptions and influence public opinion. Both use mass media. Both are directed at specific audiences. The end result of both is to get people to take action (though those actions differ immensely).

The main difference?

Truth.

Propaganda uses lies, half-truths, innuendo, smears, misinformation, one-sided arguments and inflammatory rhetoric to influence the public’s attitude toward a cause, ideal or, usually, a political agenda.

Public relations uses truth if, for no other reason, their claims can be checked. PR relies on logic, facts and sometimes emotions to spread information between an organization or individual and its publics—information to promote products, services and build good will for the organizations offering them.

Propaganda’s underlying philosophy is us against them. “They” are often denigrated as undesirables or simply “the enemy.” (We have freedom fighters; they have terrorists.)

Public relations’ underlying philosophy is building trust between an organization and its products and services with its targeted audiences for mutual benefit.

Propaganda relies on one-way communications. It seeks to eliminate dissent, and those who disagree may suddenly “disappear.”

Increasingly, public relations relies on two-way communications via social media and encourages different points of view so organizations can better service their clients and customers.

To sum up
Both techniques may employ “spin.”
If what they’re spinning is based on truth, it’s PR.
If not, it’s propaganda.

Agree? Disagree? I want your opinion.