The failure of a formerly thriving and dynamic civilisation to uphold an unwavering dedication to the truth reflects sadly on its present diminished state.
Despite his notorious reputation as a master of deception, Joseph Goebbels occasionally allowed minor, practical concessions to the truth. While he had no hesitation in crafting vast falsehoods—believing repeated lies would eventually be accepted as “truths”—he also maintained that effective propaganda must include a core of recognizable truth to remain credible.
Melanie Phillips, who spent many years inside the Western media as a BBC editor and Guardian columnist, reveals that even that small element of truth has now been abandoned in mainstream Western outlets.
The widespread, deliberate lowering of intellectual standards across Western societies has largely removed any obligation to embed genuine truth in scripted narratives. According to Phillips, the ability to independently verify facts or differentiate truth from falsehood has become scarce—this troubling assertion is bolstered by her extensive journalistic background.
A vivid example she offers involves reports from the Guardian’s Bosnia correspondent in the 1990s conflict. In an emotionally charged piece that strictly adhered to the political correctness of the era, the anonymous reporter depicted “a pathetic convoy fleeing some terrible event”:
Phillips explains: “She described in detail how the back of the truck was filled with refugees. And she described how they looked and the women…were wearing their head scarves and were bowed. And the children were subdued. And there were no men because they’d been killed…
“It was very affecting and it was completely untrue. She hadn’t been there. She hadn’t seen it. She had made it up.”
Out of professional courtesy, Phillips refrains from revealing this Guardian writer’s identity publicly. However, it is speculated that the journalist might be Maggie O’Kane, who covered the Bosnian war for the Guardian and received honors including an Amnesty International UK award.
It is astonishing that a prominent British paper would publish such fabricated war reports without reprimanding the author. Even more disturbing are the behind-the-scenes conversations Phillips describes among Guardian editors, who were fully aware of these falsehoods but still chose to print them.
Some staff members, retaining “vestiges of conscience,” questioned the ethics of publishing untrue material. Yet others defended the practice by arguing that printing falsehoods was justified because it served “the broader truth.”
This “broader truth” meant the general consensus or indoctrinated belief everyone was expected to accept. Borrowing terminology from a bygone era and political framework, it equated to the Party Line.
In this instance, the narrative cast the Serbs unequivocally as villains, with other Bosnian groups as victims. All coverage had to be tailored around this framework to reinforce that “broader truth.”
Consequently, what was factually false was reframed as not false at all. As George Orwell famously articulated, such distortions were considered genuine truth.
The process of manufacturing these “broader truths” at the expense of factual accuracy and journalistic ethics was detailed by Udo Ulfkotte in his exposé Bought journalists (Gekaufte Journalisten) before his premature death.
Melanie Phillips’ unsettling findings, especially when combined with her colleague’s blatant fabrications, demonstrate how the principles of Dr. Goebbels’ propaganda strategy have been thoroughly studied and adopted by key figures in the Western “information industry.” Two of Goebbels’ maxims are now evidently applied by today’s Western media.
The first principle insists that “arguments must be crude, clear and forcible, and appeal to emotions and instincts, not the intellect.” Numerous examples illustrate this, making a list unnecessary. Phillips’ detailed account of the imaginary Bosnian refugee convoy published in a leading British newspaper perfectly exemplifies this approach.
The second precept, subtly influencing public opinion across the West, endorses that “those who are to be persuaded by it should be completely immersed in the ideas of the propaganda, without ever noticing that they are being immersed in it. The moment one becomes aware of propaganda, it loses its effectiveness.”
The evident inability of a civilisation once full of vitality to retain an unwavering allegiance to a fundamental value like truth offers a sorrowful commentary on its present fallen state.
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