The spread of disinformation

Before the 2016 election, I never imagined that the Calendar section might provide compelling political insights [“Forget ‘Fake News,’ It’s Propaganda,” Nov. 18]. But neither did I suspect that our country might ever be subjected to reality-show governance. Nothing I’ve read lately tops what Times TV critic Lorraine Ali posits about the deluge of lies emanating from the White House. Sure, President Trump’s predecessors may have dabbled in distortions of facts. But over the last two years, we’ve been fed propaganda on steroids. Devra Mindell Santa Monica

Just one antidote can save our teetering democracy: the truth. Gary Dolgin Santa Monica

Many thanks to Ali for her excellent article calling out Trump’s so-called fake news for the propaganda it truly represents.

Last summer, we visited the Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nuremberg, Germany. The permanent exhibit “Fascination and Terror” looks at the causes, context and consequences of the Nazi regime of terror and tries to explain how it could happen in a civilized country like Germany.

Frankly, this excellent exhibit should be required viewing for Americans: The parallels to strategies used by the Trump administration — mass rallies, creation of false “enemies,” discrediting the media with claims of “fake” news — are truly alarming. Mark Smith Palm Springs

Bravo to Ali for the outstanding piece on propaganda. It clearly lays out the Trump agenda for state messaging. It is time to make all of our citizens aware that America is under a propaganda attack from the White House. This, along with the clear reality that Fox News has become a “destructive propaganda machine.” Stan Stachura Marina Del Rey

If anyone is putting out propaganda, it’s The Times.

The editors and reporters have been writing and publishing liberal propaganda for years, but particularly since Trump took office. I’ve sent more than 100 emails to dozens of your colleagues accusing them of writing propaganda instead of reporting the news.

The Times’ reporters should be the last people to accuse anyone of putting out propaganda. Norman Eagle Palos Verdes Estates

While consistent and blatant propaganda generated by this White House clearly marks a negative turning point, lack of facts permeates and harms our political process at every level. I think it’s up to the media to rethink their presentation of the news and learn a way of isolating and exposing harmful “distortions,” “half-truths,” big “L” lies and big “P” propaganda. Now is the time to reestablish factual news as basic who, what, where, whenwhy and how. Sharon D. Graham Huntington Beach

Yes, your “P” word article is on target, but you pass over the most important question. How did we end up with so many people believing this? Perhaps there isn’t an intelligent answer at this point. I grew up in New York City with Trump in the tabloids. He was a creep then, same as he is now; he was never taken seriously for anything; he was a joke that most people didn’t even pay attention to.

Sorry to ask the unanswerable, but it seems like we do need to know how this happened. Mark Salwasser Gloucester Mass.

If you accept Neil Postman’s critique in “Amusing Ourselves to Death” that television journalism is a form of entertainment, then a profit-focused TV outlet will emphasize ratings, and the content can be legitimate, sponsored or propaganda. For sophisticated outlets, the three can be consciously blended to create a distinct brand.

And with the rise of clickbait journalism, print outlets with a digital presence are under pressure to achieve viewer engagement; this explains the current prevalence of articles with a Trump angle.

It also points the way to a potential business model for traditional print outlets, which can market themselves as trustworthy providers of context in a world drowning in information. Ed Salisbury Santa Monica

Thank you to Ali for having the courage to use the “P” word with regards to the Trump/Fox News media machine. Ali’s column belongs on the front page rather than being buried in the Calendar section. Gary Tereshkow Palm Springs

I would suggest a neologism to describe what Trump does. Let’s call it Trumpaganda.

It’s Trump’s unique orange-hued spin on the facts — the truth, as objectively defined, even as documented by photos — in an incoherent word salad that his true believers take as gospel while the majority of Americans (as shown by the Democratic versus Republican Party vote tallies in the midterm elections) look at as we wonder, “How much Russian help did this incompetent buffoon need to become our president?,” as the president denies the reality of that intervention. That’s Trumpaganda. Daniel Fink Beverly Hills