Information War: American Propaganda, Free Speech, and Opinion Control Since 9/11

Open Media

by Nancy Snow

In Information War, former United States Information Agency employee Nancy Snow describes how U.S. propaganda efforts and covert operations are expanding more rapidly today than at any other time in U.S. history, as the Bush administration attempts to increase U.S. dominance by curbing dissent and controlling opinion. Snow lays out the propaganda techniques that the government uses to control dissent in the twenty-first century, spotlights the key players and their spinmeistering abilities in the information war, and describes memorable "leaks" in the Administration’s efforts to conduct stealth propaganda programs and control information at home. Ultimately she shows that dissent and true democracy are the early casualties of these policies.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published August 5, 2003

About the author

Nancy Snow holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from American University's School of International Service in Washington, D.C. In AY 2023/2024, she served as Fulbright Professor of Public Diplomacy and Strategic Communications in Athens, Greece at Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences ("Panteion"). She also lectured at the Hellenic National Defense College and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Snow held the Walt Disney Faculty Endowed Chair in Global Media at Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University, and remains a visiting distinguished professor and guest lecturer in strategic communications with the Schwarzman Scholars Program. For six years, Snow held a special appointment as Pax Mundi ("Distinguished") Professor of Public Diplomacy at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, the first full-time PD professor in Japan. She maintains many professional affiliations: strategic communications advisor at the International Security Industry Council Japan; senior fellow at the Sympodium Institute for Strategic Communications; faculty advisor to the OIST Foundation; adjunct fellow at the Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies, Temple University Japan; and senior advisor in global public affairs with Kreab Tokyo.

Dr. Snow is an Emerita Professor of Communications at California State University, Fullerton, and a former Adjunct Professor in the Annenberg School at the University of Southern California where she was founding faculty of the Center on Public Diplomacy and Masters in Public Diplomacy program. Her visiting professor appointments include China (Tsinghua), Israel (Reichman/IDC-Herzliya), Japan (Sophia/Keio), and Malaysia (UiTM), as well as Syracuse University’s Maxwell and Newhouse Schools.

Snow is the author, editor, or co-editor of 16 books, as well as Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Persian, and Portuguese translations. Her most recent is the 8th edition of "Propaganda and Persuasion" (Sage, 2025); "Routledge Handbook of Public Diplomacy" (with Nicholas J. Cull); "Japan's Information War"; "The SAGE Handbook of Propaganda" (with Paul Baines and Nicholas O'Shaughnessy); "Routledge Handbook of Critical Public Relations"; "Propaganda and American Democracy"; "Information War"; and "Propaganda, Inc."

Snow is a three-time award recipient of a Fulbright (Germany/Japan/Greece) and Abe Fellowship, and has served as a U.S. Speaker and Specialist in Public Diplomacy for the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.

Snow is contracted to publish "Battleship Diplomat: The Enduring Story of the Mighty Mo in US-Japan Relations" (Naval Institute Press).

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short but dry look at how the US government used the media both outside and inside the Bush administration to distort the activities going on. This book is dated, as pretty much all of the content was directed at the Bush administration; however, there were several points made and lessons learned as the US goes into the next administration. The author is a professor and her writing can take on a lecturing tone. 2 stars.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a small book, handy for carrying around (unlike Harry Potter which is what I read just prior to it!). It aims to act as an expose on the nature of media manipulation, both governmental and commercial in a post 9/11 world.

Some of the text is very good, dealing with the idea of 'rebranding' of America which has been the job of Charlotte Beers since 9/11. Experienced as an advertising guru Ms. Beers was given the job of countering the negative views of the US around the world. Of course, the idea of changing the behaviour which caused the negative perceptions hardly registers on the radar!

In the end the answer this book advocated was a groundswell of counter propaganda, fighting fire with fire. This seemed to me to be a deeply pessimistic approach. What about information that isn't tainted by the message givers agenda.

Other than this, the book was interesting and well written.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

A VERY short, extremely partisan and ultimately focusless collection of essays by a veteran of the United States Information Agency, the propaganda arm of the government during the Cold War. The USIA is now defunct, subsumed into other departments during the federal restructuring that saw the birth of the Dept. of Homeland Security. Snow is strongest when she is explaining the role and history of propaganda in international affairs. There is also a moving portrait of Rep. Barbara Lee, the sole Representative to try to hold onto Congressional control of War Powers after the Sept. 11 attacks. Congressional War Powers have been a joke since before I was born, but it's nice to see one person stand up for them. There are many other issues addressed here, but it's like a bag of potato chips; three days later, you don't remember them.

[Al-bara Hassan · Rating 4 out of 5]

فتح لي هذا الكتاب أفقا واسعا عن ما يحدث في الولايات المتحدة و كيفية انتاج القرارات هناك ..

والأدهى كيف تستطيع أن تصنع حكما دكتاتوريا يحقق لك كل مصالحك ولكن بالطرق الديموقراطية..

يعيب الكتاب الطرح الممل إلى حدما ولكن أتمنى أن يعيد الدكتور أحمد كتابة ما في من أفكار ويصيغه بطريقة أفضل بعيدا عن أسلوب المؤلفة ليكون أكثر امتاعا..

[Megan Galbraith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling and eye-opening account of post-9/11 information control and spin, specific to the "War on Terror". Good for all the people who want to know specific instances of abuses of power and learn about how they add up to influence and deceive the public.

[Walid · Rating 2 out of 5]

states the obvious. occasionally informative.

[MM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compact, specific, not much flab, pretty interesting overall. I particularly liked the chapter on Carolyn Beers and her branding campaign for post 9/11 U.S. (ugh).

[مريم · Rating 1 out of 5]

مع الاسف لم استطع الاستمتاع بقرائته بسبب سوء الترجمة, كانت جدًا سيئة

[Damion]

A quick read that cuts through conservative republican rhetoric without being rhetorical itself.