Should you believe Everything You Hear?

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As means of communicating have expanded - from printing to the telephone, radio, television, and the internet - the flow of persuasive messages has dramatically accelerated. This communications revolution has led to information overload, as people are inundated by counless messages from every quater. Many respond to this pressure by absorbing messages more quickly and accepting them without questioning or analyzing them. The cunning propagandist loves such shortcuts - especially those that shortcircuit rational thought. Propaganda encourages this by agitating the emotions, by exploiting insecurities, by capitalizing on the ambiguity of language, and by bending the rules of logic. As history bears out, such tactics can prove all too effective. What can you do to protect yourself from dangerous propaganda?