Propaganda — who, us? The Australian Government ‘terror kit’.

This study tests allegations that the Australian government’s 2003 ‘terror kit ’ was propaganda. Because propaganda’s definition and function are contested, content analysis was trialled as a method of clarifying propaganda detection. A propaganda index was developed using both manual and computerised coding, and while each method had limits, together they produced reliable and valid results. Measured against the index, Howard’s letter scored a 62 per cent propaganda rating