Welcome
This past February 15th, hundreds of people gathered at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York to attend “Where the Truth Lies,” a thought-provoking symposium on the role of propaganda in contemporary society.
Over the course of the day, a prominent procession of critics, practitioners, scholars, designers, and media-makers explored the place of propaganda in today’s world, moving in on many of the most pressing issues of our time: the role of the media in shaping public opinion, the use of propaganda as an instrument of war, ongoing efforts to study and influence the content of word-of-mouth discussion, and corporate attempts to shape the content of public education. In a series of open discussions guided by David Brancaccio (host of the PBS program “Now”), the ethics of persuasion was at the heart of the day’s agenda.
While the symposium took place and ended on a Friday in February, the issues that came out of it remain pivotal as we ponder whether democracy is still possible in a world where propaganda and public life have become inseparable, and—if it is—whether organized strategies of persuasion endanger or enhance the quality of our social and political life.
Some of the symposium’s presentations continue to be discussed on the Internet and in a number of publications. This convinces us that the issues raised are of moment to people. As the organizers of the first “Where the Truth Lies” symposium, we feel obligated to provide an interactive environment where people can engage in an ongoing discussion of contemporary propaganda, visual persuasion, and the role of rhetoric in public life. In this spirit, we invite and encourage you to share your thoughts, insights and concerns in response to issues addressed by the symposium, or to issues you think need to be addressed.
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March 25th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
This was an amazing symposium. Stuart Ewen’s talk about corporatism in academia, or rather, the beginnings of corporatism in academia has stayed with me long after the symposium ended and I’d strongly recommend watching his lecture via podcast to anyone interested in this deleterious, yet seemingly inevitable, co-mingling.
Also of particular interest for me was the emphasis on “gorilla marketing,” best demonstrated by Sam Ewen’s talk. Just like the billboard, as i can only imagine, must have dominated the city landscape at the time of it’s advent and has since somehow faded gently into the background, it seems as though now gorilla marketing - the act of decorating or denigrating the urban environment with “installations” - is the next wave of advertising that we’ll have to contend with on a daily basis. One can only wonder what a future urban landscape will look like once these tactics go the way of the billboard . . .
April 12th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Anyone else having trouble downloading these?? Connection timing out?
May 1st, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Some of the lectures seemed more relevant to the title of the series than others but regardless I enjoyed all of the content very much. Attending SVA for grad school is always in the back of my mind and one of the big reasons for that is the opportuny I get to see the SVA podcasts. All of this, in turn, makes me work harder at where I am now. Keep up the good work, Mr. Heller. And thank you….
(……..keep em coming!)
May 5th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
I am not sure that I can completely understand your comments. Would you be so kind as to expand on your reasoning a little more before I comment.