Propaganda is defined here as "a careful and predetermined plan... of manipulation… to communicate an objective to an audience." And the objective being to modify or reinforce the attitudes and behavior of an audience. From this we can deduce three simple tests for determining whether any particular message is propaganda or legitimate free speech.

Does the propaganda seem to favor a particular political party or ideology, in other words, what entity will benefit the most when the objective is achieved? The objective of propaganda is essentially to gain power and followers, whether this is a political party, a religion, or a commercial product there will always be a benefactor which is portrayed in a good light, mostly undeservedly.

Does the propaganda effectively alter an audience's attitude or behavior? Altering behavior and attitudes is the method by which the objective is achieved. If a message does not attempt to influence any group of individuals, then it can hardly be called propaganda.

Is the propagandist aware of the distortions of the truth they are committing? Someone spreading misinformation out of their own ignorance is forgivable, but someone who spreads misinformation for their own benefit is a propagandist.

If, and only if, a message applies to all three of these tests it should be considered propaganda. The rub lies in determining whether the propagandist is or isn't aware of what they are doing. In extreme cases, like North Korea, it is easy to discern. But in the American media the line between propaganda and freedom of speech is blurred. Most news outlets easily pass the first two tests, but as for the third it is impossible to know. It seems apparent that these outlets are biased to their respective contributors or ideologies, and that they aim to garner support for them. But each of these news corporations claims to be impartial and unbiased, that any apparent bias is either a mistake or an exaggeration. Ultimately, assuming innocence until proven guilty, news outlets fall under the protection of free speech.

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