Propaganda is a HUGE problem

Submitted by Sophia Gates (United States), Jul 19, 2006 at 00:58

I agree, the damage from misinformation is just incalculable and the bigotry streaming out of the Middle East - and influencing it - is dreadful, appalling. I think it helped create the conditions for violence in the first place and certainly, it's fueling them now.

The fact that US campuses are now affected and the internet is becoming a repository both for blatant and thinly disguised antisemitism, masquerading as "criticism of Israel", is frightening. I no longer recognize the Left I once knew - young people used to idealize flower power - now they dress up like terrorists. I do NOT understand the attraction for goose-stepping, masked religious extremists - particularly when they propose to destroy a multicultural democracy.

Israel - the people, the nation, the state, MUST realize the seriousness of this problem and take the utmost measures to confront it. The best weapon is education but that takes time. In the short term, at least fight fire with fire - start using serious, professional media consultants, use the internet, and point out the dreadful falsehoods that are perpetrated in the name of "justice" and "truth".

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".