On Lies (iii)

The press doesn’t lie. That is not the problem with modern western news coverage. Yes, they are oh so truthful and praise their freedom being infinitely superior to the false propaganda machinery of totalitarian states. No, they don’t lie, but that’s exactly what makes the lie ingenious and the propaganda effective.

Whoever controls the selection of information controls the truth and forms reality. The receivers, the public, absorb whatever they get and fix their impression accordingly. We imagine that we are presented with the real world, but of course it is only a selection of what the newsmen perceive to be significant, or what they want to be significant. By directing the emphasis they distort reality and lie without lying.