This book responds to changing views of the disinformation crisis, seeking to complement data-based approaches with a concentrated focus on narrative and story.  Social media have given a new dimension to public involvement in these, but television and cinema lead the way. If lies and disinformation are the arsenal in a propaganda war, story and dramatization are the weaponry, and gaining advantage is all about the design and impact of the weapons. Twisted plot lines, arcs of suspense, motivated actors: these have so much more destructive power against human intelligence than specific falsehoods. The chapters focus on prominent narrative influences in the political arena, illustrating how the dynamics of public communication draw on traditions of fantasy, myth, plotting, performance and dramaturgy. Attention is paid to the ideologies and theoretical paradigms that underpin these imaginative constructions and drive them towards electoral goals. In the geopolitical maelstrom of the 21st century, we are citizens of the world in a new way, and our opinions, collectively, count. Sharper awareness of why and how we participate in the spread of imaginative manipulation is urgently needed.

"A much-needed antidote to the political psychodramas that are poisoning public discourse. Jane Goodall's brilliant analysis reminds us of an essential truth, that the best defence against propaganda is an educated mind, not just a rational mind, but a mind attuned to how narrative structures both history and the human psyche."- Stephen Muecke, Nulungu Research Institute

"The contraction, consolidation and declining credibility of legacy media has concerned me for some years. Jane Goodall's dive into the consequences of that weakened, distrusted media meeting the compelling and designed-for-maximum-drama force of propaganda, supercharged by online platforms, is important for an understanding of how our shared reality is being corrupted. As we watch the USA slide into authoritarianism under a brazenly criminal administration, understanding what propaganda is, and how it works in the contemporary information ecosystem is essential." - Debbie Spillane, Journalist, Australia

Jane R. Goodall  is Emeritus Professor with the Writing and Society Research Centre at Western Sydney University. She has a diverse track record as a writer and commentator on the history and politics of cultural change.