#242 Doug Wilbur on Propaganda

The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association.

During this episode, Doug Wilbur discussed propaganda, information warfare, and strategic optimism–emphasizing society's capability for problem-solving. He defined propaganda as any communication intended to influence behavior in the propagandist's favor, distinguishing it from persuasion. Wilbur concluded the Vietnamese were the most successful propagandists, effectively delegitimizing the South Vietnamese government as a US puppet, which made the 1968 Tet Offensive a psychological victory despite military defeat. He explained that communism relies on a messianic eschatology, promising a utopian future. Wilbur also addressed modern threats, noting that AI increases the vulnerability of open societies to personalized disinformation, compounding the challenge of combating propaganda due to people relying on fast-thinking heuristics.

Recording Date: 6 Feb 2026

Research Question: Doug Wilbur suggests an interested student or researcher examine what are the Chinese telling external audiences and what effect is it having?

Resources:

• Blurring the Source: Information Laundering and the Cognitive Architecture of Modern Propaganda by Doug Wilbur
• Finding the Signal within the Noise: What Information Warriors Need to Know About Human Pattern Recognitionby Doug Wilbur
• Warfare of Position: When the Decisive Struggle Precedes the First Shot by Doug Wilbur
• Viet Cong: The Organization of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam by Douglas Pike

Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio: Douglas S Wilbur, Ph.D. (University of Missouri, School of Journalism, 2019), is a communication scientist who specializes in propaganda, information warfare and strategic communication. He is also a retired U.S. Army Information Operations Officer with four deployments. He works full-time in the information technology industry but is an adjunct professor of Marketing at the University of Maryland Global Campus.

About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain.

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