2026, Watch Out. Propaganda Lurking!

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EDITORIAL

Massimo A. Alberizzi
January 3, 2025

2025 was a difficult year for information, but 2026 promises to be even more challenging. There are many enemies; some are obvious, others hidden, but the most dangerous of all, because it manipulates consciences and convinces people to do things that harm them, is propaganda.

It is an insidious enemy because those who are subjected to it often do not realize it. It creeps in slowly and affects above all those who do not bother to investigate, research, or verify, but, with a certain superficiality, take for granted the news that is disseminated daily by newspapers, television, or the web as true and reliable.

The other side of the coin

News provided in a misleading way, telling only one side of the story, in order to validate that side and keep the other side away from prying eyes (and minds).

News that is cloaked in do-goodism, under the pretext and desire to defend humanity and justice. Provided in a reassuring and law-abiding manner. Voltaire wrote: “The greatest of crimes, at least the most destructive and therefore the most contrary to the purpose of nature, is war; but there is no aggressor who does not color this misdeed with the pretext of justice.”

It is a daily drip of biased news, deliberately presented in a misleading way. Right, left, center: everyone abuses it.

Unfortunately, even many newspapers do not check, verify, and publish the news as mere paper pushers. The American attack on Christmas Day in Nigeria was passed off as an action in defense of Christians who are allegedly subject to violence by Islamic terrorists in that area. https://www.africa-express.info/2025/12/29/difesa-dei-cristiani-o-mani-sulle-risorse-cosa-ha-spinto-trump-a-bombardare-la-nigeria/

It is true that, following protests by the Nigerian authorities against this narrative, some have questioned Trump’s justification. But almost no one has pointed out that this show of American muscle violates international rules, norms, and conventions.

After Nigeria, Venezuela

After Nigeria, today came the attack on Venezuela, even more serious because it is in total violation of international law. Fight against drug traffickers, fight against dictatorship. Seasoned with Trump’s own comment: “We will take back our oil.” In other words, Trump claimed that the oil in Venezuela’s subsoil belongs to the Americans.

But that’s not all. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been convicted—without trial—of being one of the organizers of drug trafficking, but the pretext of the fight against drug trafficking is blatantly contradicted by the facts, as Trump himself pardoned the former president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, who had been sentenced to 45 years in prison and fined $8 million for bringing 400 tons of cocaine into the United States.

CHARGES CONTRE MADURO Anglais

The US indictment against Maduro and his wife

This is but a pretext, as is the claim that the attack on Caracas was justified to protect US national security from a ‘hybrid’ aggression. The truth is that in both Nigeria and Venezuela, the goal is control of resources.

Consent of the authorities

As far as Nigeria is concerned, it is true that Washington acted with the consent of the Nigerian authorities, but can these permits be used to ‘punish’ without trial those allegedly responsible for crimes that have not been confirmed by independent trials?

I don’t think so. Nevertheless, many politicians continue to repeat that we are going to war to defend Western values. If this were really the case, isn’t the presumption of innocence one of those values?

Before imposing a sentence, should there not be a trial to determine any convictions? Is this not one of the cornerstones of Western law? Today, even the Enlightenment thinkers Cesare Beccaria and Pietro Verri are being torn apart by those who claim to defend Western values.

Renunciation of values

It seems to me that the aim is to convince public opinion, through the unscrupulous use of propaganda, to renounce these values. This impression has been reinforced by the attacks on oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela, the bombings in Nigeria, and now the kidnapping of Maduro. Everyone in Gaza is a terrorist, everyone in Sokoto (the Nigerian state bombed at Christmas) is an Islamist, and everyone in Venezuela is a drug trafficker.

A disturbing narrative!

Massimo A. Alberizzi
massimo.alberizzi@africa-express.info
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