--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a gulf between the image and…" description: "\"“There is a gulf between the image and reality of the punishment bureaucracy. Copaganda creates that gulf. It is the system of government and news medi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bce/alec-karakatsanis-35059_copaganda_there-is-a-gulf-between-the-image-and-re_1742656.jpg" --- # There is a gulf between the image and reality of the… ![“There is a gulf between the image and reality of the punishment bureaucracy. Copaganda creates that gulf. It is the system of government and news media propaganda that promotes mass incarceration, justifies the barbarities and profits that accompany it, and distorts our sense of what threatens us…” quote by Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bce/alec-karakatsanis-35059_copaganda_there-is-a-gulf-between-the-image-and-re_1742656.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bce/alec-karakatsanis-35059_copaganda_there-is-a-gulf-between-the-image-and-re_1742656.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bce/alec-karakatsanis-35059_copaganda_there-is-a-gulf-between-the-image-and-re_1742656.jpg) > ““There is a gulf between the image and reality of the punishment bureaucracy. Copaganda creates that gulf. It is the system of government and news media propaganda that promotes mass incarceration, justifies the barbarities and profits that accompany it, and distorts our sense of what threatens us and what keeps us safe.”” [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Propaganda creates a gap between how punishment looks and how it works, leading to public misunderstanding. **In simple terms:** Media shapes our view of punishment. Key Takeaway Question and verify information about criminal justice. Themes justice media propaganda Mood critical skeptical Type analytical activist When to use this quote - political debates - media literacy workshops - legal reform discussions - community outreach Key Concepts Mass incarceration public perception policy truth Questions to Reflect On - What evidence shows media distortion in criminal justice? - How can citizens discern bias in news coverage? A Different Perspective Counterpoint: Some argue that media simply reports facts, not creates them. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Copaganda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copaganda/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Criminal justice system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-justice-system/) [Law enforcement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-enforcement/) [Mass incarceration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass-incarceration/) [Media manipulation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media-manipulation/) [Media propaganda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media-propaganda/) [Punishment-bureaucracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment-bureaucracy/) [The-mafia-in-blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/the-mafia-in-blue/) ## Related quotes > [“The third job of copaganda is to convince the public to spend more money on the punishment bureaucracy by framing police, prosecutors, probation, parole,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/the-third-job-of-copaganda-is-to-convince-the-public-to-spend-more/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“I use the term "punishment bureaucracy" instead of "criminal justice system" because it is a more accurate and less deceptive way to describe the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/i-use-the-term-punishment-bureaucracy-instead-of-criminal-justice/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“The entire genre of police procedurals mythologizes punishment bureaucrats and the allegedly sophisticated technologies they wield. And it's not just Hollywood--fictional copaganda planned and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/the-entire-genre-of-police-procedurals-mythologizes-punishment/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“The concept and terminology of "mugging" as opposed to, say, "robbery" was created as part of the panic, even though there was no evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/the-concept-and-terminology-of-mugging-as-opposed-to-say-robbery-was/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“The first job of copaganda is to narrow our conception of threat. Rather than the bigger threats to our safety caused by people with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/the-first-job-of-copaganda-is-to-narrow-our-conception-of-threat/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“The second job of copaganda is to manufacture crises and panics about this narrow category of threats.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/the-second-job-of-copaganda-is-to-manufacture-crises-and-panics-about/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“On the day Chicago police murdered Laquan McDonald, a seventeen-year-old Black teenager, in 2014, Chicago cops had six full-time public relations employees. As the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/on-the-day-chicago-police-murdered-laquan-mcdonald-a-seventeen-year/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“Cultural copaganda is all around us--from the CIA , starting in the 1950s funding projects like the Iowa Writers' Workshop or fronting literary magazines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/cultural-copaganda-is-all-around-us-from-the-cia-starting-in-the/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“If you're an amateur, professional, or aspiring journalist in any city in the U.S., a good story for you would be to dig into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/if-you-re-an-amateur-professional-or-aspiring-journalist-in-any-city/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“Copaganda leaves the public in a vague state of fear. It manufactures suspicions against poor people, immigrants, and racial minorities rather than, say, bankers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/copaganda-leaves-the-public-in-a-vague-state-of-fear-it-manufactures/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [The size of the lie is a definite factor in causing it to be believed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-size-of-the-lie-is-a-definite-factor-in-causing-it-to-be-believed-2/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [Naturally the common people don't want war. . . but after all it is the leaders of a country who determine policy, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-goring/naturally-the-common-people-don-t-want-war-but-after-all-it-is-the-2/) [Hermann Goring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-goring/) > [Naturally, the common people don't want war ... but after all it is the leaders of a country who determine the policy, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-goring/naturally-the-common-people-don-t-want-war-but-after-all-it-is-the/) [Hermann Goring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-goring/) > [I did not think the Oligarchy would allow Trump to win. However, it seems that the oligarchs were deceived by their own media propaganda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-craig-roberts/i-did-not-think-the-oligarchy-would-allow-trump-to-win-however-it/) [Paul Craig Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-craig-roberts/) > [The size of the lie is a definite factor in causing it to be believed, for the vast masses of the nation are in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-size-of-the-lie-is-a-definite-factor-in-causing-it-to-be-believed/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) ## More by Alec Karakatsanis > [“The entire genre of police procedurals mythologizes punishment bureaucrats and the allegedly sophisticated technologies they wield. And it's not just Hollywood--fictional copaganda planned and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/the-entire-genre-of-police-procedurals-mythologizes-punishment/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“If you're an amateur, professional, or aspiring journalist in any city in the U.S., a good story for you would be to dig into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/if-you-re-an-amateur-professional-or-aspiring-journalist-in-any-city/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“Cultural copaganda is all around us--from the CIA , starting in the 1950s funding projects like the Iowa Writers' Workshop or fronting literary magazines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/cultural-copaganda-is-all-around-us-from-the-cia-starting-in-the/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“On the day Chicago police murdered Laquan McDonald, a seventeen-year-old Black teenager, in 2014, Chicago cops had six full-time public relations employees. 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Rather than the bigger threats to our safety caused by people with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/the-first-job-of-copaganda-is-to-narrow-our-conception-of-threat/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“Police employing video propagandists has become more common after the murder of George Floyd.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/police-employing-video-propagandists-has-become-more-common-after-the/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“The concept and terminology of "mugging" as opposed to, say, "robbery" was created as part of the panic, even though there was no evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/the-concept-and-terminology-of-mugging-as-opposed-to-say-robbery-was/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“Copaganda obscures the active role police play in doing bad things. Many people have criticized the police-invented term "officer-involved shooting" because it obscures who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/copaganda-obscures-the-active-role-police-play-in-doing-bad-things/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“Copaganda leaves the public in a vague state of fear. It manufactures suspicions against poor people, immigrants, and racial minorities rather than, say, bankers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/copaganda-leaves-the-public-in-a-vague-state-of-fear-it-manufactures/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) [Explore all 13 Alec Karakatsanis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) ## More Copaganda quotes > [“The entire genre of police procedurals mythologizes punishment bureaucrats and the allegedly sophisticated technologies they wield. And it's not just Hollywood--fictional copaganda planned and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/the-entire-genre-of-police-procedurals-mythologizes-punishment/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“If you're an amateur, professional, or aspiring journalist in any city in the U.S., a good story for you would be to dig into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/if-you-re-an-amateur-professional-or-aspiring-journalist-in-any-city/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“Cultural copaganda is all around us--from the CIA , starting in the 1950s funding projects like the Iowa Writers' Workshop or fronting literary magazines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/cultural-copaganda-is-all-around-us-from-the-cia-starting-in-the/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“On the day Chicago police murdered Laquan McDonald, a seventeen-year-old Black teenager, in 2014, Chicago cops had six full-time public relations employees. As the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/on-the-day-chicago-police-murdered-laquan-mcdonald-a-seventeen-year/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“I use the term "punishment bureaucracy" instead of "criminal justice system" because it is a more accurate and less deceptive way to describe the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/i-use-the-term-punishment-bureaucracy-instead-of-criminal-justice/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“The second job of copaganda is to manufacture crises and panics about this narrow category of threats.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/the-second-job-of-copaganda-is-to-manufacture-crises-and-panics-about/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“The third job of copaganda is to convince the public to spend more money on the punishment bureaucracy by framing police, prosecutors, probation, parole,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/the-third-job-of-copaganda-is-to-convince-the-public-to-spend-more/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“The first job of copaganda is to narrow our conception of threat. Rather than the bigger threats to our safety caused by people with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/the-first-job-of-copaganda-is-to-narrow-our-conception-of-threat/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“Police employing video propagandists has become more common after the murder of George Floyd.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/police-employing-video-propagandists-has-become-more-common-after-the/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“The concept and terminology of "mugging" as opposed to, say, "robbery" was created as part of the panic, even though there was no evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/the-concept-and-terminology-of-mugging-as-opposed-to-say-robbery-was/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“Copaganda obscures the active role police play in doing bad things. Many people have criticized the police-invented term "officer-involved shooting" because it obscures who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/copaganda-obscures-the-active-role-police-play-in-doing-bad-things/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [“Copaganda leaves the public in a vague state of fear. It manufactures suspicions against poor people, immigrants, and racial minorities rather than, say, bankers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/copaganda-leaves-the-public-in-a-vague-state-of-fear-it-manufactures/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) [Browse all 13 Copaganda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copaganda/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There is a gulf between the image and reality of the punishment bureaucracy. Copaganda creates that gulf. 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