Here’s What Propaganda Looks Like

I avoid misusing the word “propaganda” because it’s thrown around too lightly.

Fox News isn’t propaganda, neither is MSNBC. You can call them partisan outlets, but they generally stick to reality. Yes, they cherry-pick stories and spin headlines to suit their audiences but they rarely fabricate events wholesale.

Propaganda deliberately manipulates. It uses emotional triggers, half-truths, and outright lies to shape opinion. And there’s no better example of it than the latest cover of New York Magazine.

Their hit piece on young Trump supporters revealed more about the magazine than its targets, and it’s not a good look.

Their story “The Cruel Kids’ Table” painted these twenty-somethings as privileged white monsters gleefully celebrating America’s downfall. But the real monster here was the magazine’s deliberate manipulation of reality to fit their narrative.

Let’s start with their cover photo. The magazine surgically cropped out every black person at the party, then wrote about how “the entire room is white.” Funny how that works.

Another trick was the complete erasure of CJ Pearson, a black conservative who inconveniently co-hosted the event. They also ignored black celebrities, including a rapper who’d been recognized for his philanthropy by President Trump, as well as an undefeated boxing phenom from Baltimore.

Imagine being so committed to your “MAGA is racist” narrative that you intentionally ignore black people. Hmm, treating someone poorly because of their skin color … I wonder if there’s a word for that.

Of course, the magazine decided on the story angle before the party even started. Their manipulation follows a tired pattern of determining the crime, then weaponing “journalism.” You want racists? Take any gathering, crop out the diversity, focus on the whitest faces you can find, and voilà – instant racism story.

It’s not journalism. It’s propaganda dressed up in designer clothes.

Ken LaCorte writes about censorship, media malfeasance, uncomfortable questions, and honest insight for people curious how the world really works. Follow Ken on Substack