Accounts Quote by George Orwell
“The process [of mass-media deception] has to be conscious, or it would not be carried out with sufficient precision, but it also has to be unconscious, or it would bring with it a feeling of falsity and hence of guilt… To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies all this is indispensably necessary.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Politics and the English Language, 1946
The quote describes how mass media manipulates truth by alternating conscious deception with unconscious denial, creating a false reality while maintaining a sense of legitimacy.
In simple terms: Media lies blend deliberate falsehoods with subconscious denial to seem true.
Recognize and question hidden biases in information.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- news consumption
- political campaigns
- advertising
- social media
- public discourse
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you differentiate intentional deception from unintentional bias?
- What mechanisms can protect against subconscious denial of facts?
The claim assumes a uniform intent behind all media, which may not hold for every source.