Propaganda Is Ancient

The word comes from a 1622 Vatican committee — the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide — but the practice is far older. Egyptian pharaohs carved imaginary battle victories into temple walls.

The channels keep changing — social media instead of stone walls — but the playbook barely does. Repetition is the oldest trick of all. Hear a claim enough times and it starts to feel true even when it is not, an effect researchers call the illusory truth effect. The medium evolves.