Public Relations and Propaganda

Public relations usually is associated with the influencing of public opinion. Therefore it has subsequently been linked with propaganda. Using one of the many definitions of propaganda "... the manipulation of symbols as a means of influencing attitudes on controversial matters" (Harold D. Lasswell), the terms propaganda and PR seem to be easily interchangeable.

Still many authors explicitly distinguish between public relations, advertising and propaganda. Unlike PR, which is often described as objective and extensive information of the public, advertising and propaganda are associated with manipulative activities. Nevertheless to treat public relations and propaganda as equivalents stands in the tradition of PR. Edward L. Bernays, one of the founders of public relations wrote "The only difference between propaganda and education, really, is the point of view. The advocacy of what we believe in is education. The advocacy of what we don't believe is propaganda."

Also institutions like the German Bundeswehr use the terms publics relations and propaganda synonymously. After a 1990 legislation of the former minister of defense Stoltenberg, the "psychological influence of the enemy" was ceased during peace time and the Academy for Psychological Defense renamed to Academy for Information and Communication, among other things responsible for scientific research in the field of public relations.

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Geraldton Station

Latitude: -28.7786, Longitude: 114.6008

The Geraldton station is officially called the Australian Defence Satellite Communications Station, ADSCS. The station targets mainly the second Pacific Intelsat, 703 and the two main Indian Ocean Intelsats, at 60 and 63 degrees east. Another target is likely to be the new Intelsat positioned, in 1992, at 91.5 degrees east, between South East Asia and India. So Geraldton interception concentrates entirely on Indian Ocean and Asian satellites.

Source: Nicky Hager, Secret Power, New Zealand's role in the internatinal spy network, (Craig Potton, 1996) p.183-185

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