Is ‘Consumer Reports’ Engaging in Healthcare Fraud?
Peter Gadiel Most of us understand that a careful, unbiased analysis of facts or ideas and presentation of findings is vastly different from propaganda. The latter is designed to further a cause regardless of facts. At its crudest, it is Fidel Castro or Hugo Chávez ranting to an audience fearful of offending the Maximum Leader. However, propaganda can be far more sophisticated, thus more effective and much more dangerous. The first-rate propagandist knows to include enough truth in his campaign to establish his credibility, while hiding whatever works against his cause. He disguises his work as an unprejudiced appraisal by carefully picking facts that support his thesis and suppressing those that undermine it. It may sound like unbiased analysis, but it’s still salesmanship, still propagandizing to sell an idea. Manufactured goods, as much as ideas, can be the subject of unbiased evaluation and testing or, alternatively, the subject of propaganda – of sales campaigns. The skills develo
