Perception management
Perception management is a term originated by the U. S. military. The
U. S. Department of Defense (DOD) gives this definition:
perception management—Actions to convey and/or deny selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, and objective reasoning as well as to intelligence systems and leaders at all levels to influence official estimates, ultimately resulting in foreign behaviors and official actions favorable to the originator's objectives. In various ways, perception management combines truth projection, operations security, cover and deception, and psychological operations.
This would appear to include
propaganda (which Wikipedia defines as "a specific type of message presentation, aimed at serving an agenda") as well as other activities. It is clear from the definition that unlike
Public diplomacy,
perception management is specifically intended to include the use of deception; that is, perception management is not supposed to be limited to the dissemination of truthful information.
Although perception management is specifically defined as being limited to
foreign audiences, critics of the DOD charge that it also engages in domestic perception management. An example cited is the prohibition of viewing or photographing the flag draped caskets of dead military as they are unloaded in bulk upon arrival in the U.S. for further distribution, a policy only recently implemented.
As of 2004, the phrase "perception management" is filtering into civilian use as a synonym for "persuasion."
Public relations firms now offer "perception management" as one of their services. Similarly, officials who are being accused of shading the truth are now frequently charged with engaging in "perception management." .
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Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, Joint Publication 1-02,
12 April 2001 (As Amended Through
17 December 2003)
