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date: 09 December 2019

Abstract and Keywords

The arts of lying and deception are perennials of politics, having been used and debated throughout history and in the contemporary era. Indeed, for those sceptical of democracy, deception is understood as a necessary and justifiable part of politics. For example, elitists argue that people need to sometimes be deceived by an enlightened elite whilst, for realists, the circumstances of international politics frequently demand deception by leaders. In contrast, democrats argue that political deception is corrosive to good, democratic governance other than in exceptional circumstances. Locating strategies of deception within an understanding of organized political communication (OPC) including propaganda extends our grasp and understanding of how lying and deception have become central to the exercise of power, even within contemporary liberal democracies. Today, enormous resources are devoted towards shaping the ‘information environment’ and OPC frequently employs deception, whether by lying, omission, distortion, or misdirection. Further research and theorizing are necessary in order to better understand the reach of various forms of deceptive OPC such as propaganda and their role in the exercise of power, when these strategies might or might not be justified, and the consequences for the health of democracy.

Keywords: deception, lying, propaganda, organized persuasive communication, strategic communication, political communication, manipulation, spin, political marketing

Piers Robinson

Piers Robinson is Chair in Politics, Society and Political Journalism at the Department of Journalism Studies, University of Sheffield. He researches organized persuasive communication and contemporary propaganda and is co-director of the Organisation for Propaganda Studies. Recent publications include The Routledge Handbook of Media, Conflict and Security (co-editors Philip Seib and Romy Fröhlich, Routledge, 2017) and Learning from the Chilcot Report: Propaganda, Deception and the “War on Terror”, in International Journal of Contemporary Iraqi Studies 11(1–2).

David Miller

David Miller is Professor of Sociology in the Department of Social & Policy Sciences at the University of Bath in England. From 2013 to 2016 he was RCUK Global Uncertainties Leadership Fellow, leading a project on understanding and explaining terrorism expertise in practice. Amongst his recent publications is What is Islamophobia? Racism, Social Movements and the State (Pluto Press, 2017). He is also the co-editor of Impact of pg xxiiMarket Forces on Addictive Substances and Behaviours: The Web of Influence of Addictive Industries (Pluto Press, 2017) and co-author of The Israel Lobby and the European Union (Spinwatch & Europal, 2016) and The New Governance of Addictive Substances and Behaviours (Oxford University Press, 2017).

Eric Herring

Eric Herring is Professor of World Politics in the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies at the University of Bristol. His books include Iraq in Fragments: The Occupation and its Legacy (Cornell University Press, 2006) with Glen Rangwala; The Arms Dynamic in World Politics (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1998) with Barry Buzan; and Danger and Opportunity: Explaining International Crisis Outcomes (Manchester University Press, 1995). His research has been published in journals such as Political Science Quarterly, Review of International Studies, Millennium, and Globalizations. His current research has two main strands: promoting locally led development in Somalia and organized persuasive communication, including propaganda.

Vian Bakir

Vian Bakir is Professor in Political Communication and Journalism at Bangor University, Wales. Her research examines the interplay among journalism, political communication, and the security state, focusing on agenda-building, persuasion, influence, and public accountability. Her books include Intelligence Elites and Public Accountability (Routledge, 2018), Torture, Intelligence and Sousveillance in the War on Terror (Routledge, 2013) and Sousveillance, Media and Strategic Political Communication. Iraq, USA, UK (Bloomsbury Academic, 2010). Recent grants from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) include DATA—PSST! Debating & Assessing Transparency Arrangements: Privacy, Security, Surveillance, Trust (2015–17); and Political-Intelligence Elites: Towards Better Public Accountability through a Co-created Benchmark for Civil Society (2016–17).

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