Why are myths and fake news attractive to millions of people – and how come are the architects of propaganda always one step ahead?
Author: Joonas Pörsti
Finnish original: Propagandan lumo. Sata vuotta mielten hallintaa
Publisher: Teos, 2017
Genre: nonfiction
Number of pages: 416 pp. + 16 pp. ill.
Reading material: Finnish original, English sample
Rights sold: Lithuania, Sofoklis
After the end of the Cold War and the fall of the USSR, the world welcomed a new era full of hope. More and more countries became democratic, and political propaganda seemed to sink into oblivion along with the authoritarian regimes.
The 21st century quickly proved that nothing had changed. The Iraq War, the Ukrainian crisis, the rise of ISIS and the presidencies of Trump and Putin put propaganda back into the center of global politics. It turned out that western democracies were not immune to it either – quite the opposite.
The Enchantment of Propaganda is a narrative account of propaganda in international politics from 1914 to the present day. It is a masterful combination of a fact-based knowledge, skillful, yet accessible journalistic style and entertaining sharpness that give the reader a thorough understanding of how propaganda works and what kinds of dangers disinformation poses to societies.
The book was awarded the State Award for Information Publication 2018 and nominated for Bonnier’s Grand Journalism Prize 2017.
“Everyone who wants to understand politics, media or marketing should read this book.”
‒ Image magazine
“We continue to live in a world full of propaganda, described by words like post-truth, informational influence, information warfare, disinformation and trolling […] With journalistic fluency, Joonas Pörsti explains the basic methods of spin doctoring. Such knowledge is a great antidote to propaganda: it teaches us a critical approach towards communication and important skills to defend ourselves against persuasion.”
‒ The jury of the State Award for Information Publication
About the author:
Joonas Pörsti