The Sinking of the Lusitania Has Lessons for Today

At a "book exchage" several weeks ago I obtained a copy of Colin Simpson’s The Lusitania (1972), a provocative examination of the 1915 sinking of the RMS Lusitania, which killed 1,198 people — including 94 children — and helped tilt America toward entering World War I.

Simpson’s book peels back the official narrative to reveal a more complex and disturbing picture. Far from a simple case of unprovoked German aggression against a civilian liner, the Lusitania was carrying significant quantities of munitions and other contraband destined for the British war effort. British authorities, Simpson argues, were aware of the risks yet failed to provide adequate protection, while the ship’s rapid sinking was accelerated by both its unstable design and explosive cargo. The result was a human catastrophe which was then exploited with ruthless efficiency by Allied propaganda.

Lifejacket from Lusitania

The parallels to events in our own era--Gaza, Ukraine, Iran--are striking. In 1915, as today, ordinary people struggled to discern truth amid conflicting government statements and sensational media coverage. British and American newspapers amplified heartbreaking images of drowned children and grieving families, framing the disaster as proof of German barbarity. German sources, meanwhile, insisted the ship was a legitimate target. Public trust in institutions eroded as citizens sensed they were being fed selective facts to serve larger geopolitical aims. 

Sound familiar?

The emotional focus on innocent victims — especially children — proved devastatingly effective. Posters showing mothers and babies sinking beneath the waves stirred outrage far more powerfully than dry debates over maritime law or secret cargo manifests. Simpson shows how tragedy was transformed into a potent propaganda weapon, much as civilian casualties and graphic imagery dominate today’s information wars.

In an age of contested narratives and weaponized empathy, Simpson’s account reminds us that the Lusitania was not merely a maritime disaster — it was a masterclass in how governments, media, and public emotion intersect during crisis. Nearly 110 years later, its lessons about skepticism, hidden agendas, and the strategic use of innocent suffering remain painfully relevant.  

What especially sad (or disturbing) is how the truth is buried beneath a sea of noise, and facts about what's really happened don't come to light till decades later.  

After the latest attempt on the president's life someone said to me, "I don't know what to believe any more." I knew what he was referring to. Every action now has a groundswell of conspiracy theories in its wake, propelled by unrestrained social media. Charlie Kirk, Butler, October 7, JFK--and the beat goes on.

Life in an Era of Pied Pipers Wielding Weapons of Mass Manipulation

I still remember when I first heard the story of the Pied Piper as a child. It must have been something on TV because I have images in my memory closet associated with the story. In junior high school, a few years later, Crispian St. Peter's recording of "The Pied Piper" reached the top ten as a 45 single (which I recorded on my Estey two-speed reel-to-reel from the radio, and still own.)

As I'm often fond of saying, we live in an era of spin. Nearly every major event has spinners striving to control the way viewers, listeners and readers perceive these events. But it doesn't stop there. Political opponents are also busy trying to recast past events as well. As George Orwell famously stated in his opus, "Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past."

While looking through one of my notebooks I came across this parallel notion. "We live in an era of Pied Pipers wielding weapons of mass manipulation."

For those unfamiliar, the old folktale tells of a mysterious figure who had been sought out to help rid the city of rats. He arrives not with rat traps but with a magic flute. When he plays his magic tune, the mayor, city council and half the city leaders follow him off into the mountains.

No, just kidding. He plays his flute and all the rodents follow in a parade to a place far away.  

When he returns to receive his agreed upon compensation, they choose instead to stiff him. Well, he's got another trick up his sleeve. He pulls out that flute again, and plays a different tune, this time charming the minds of all the children of that town who proceed to follow him off into the mountains, never to return.

Today the flute has been replaced by algorithms, screens, and carefully engineered narratives, but the principle is much the same. The modern Piper doesn't need a stage in the town square; he operates through phones in our pockets, feeds on our screens, and voices in our earbuds.

The tools of persuasion have never been more powerful. Social media platforms can amplify a message to millions within minutes. Data analytics allow organizations to tailor messages to specific fears, desires, and identities. Images, slogans, and emotional appeals are designed not merely to inform but to provoke reaction. The result is an environment where attention is captured, outrage is cultivated, and loyalty is shaped with remarkable precision.

The danger is not simply misinformation. It is the erosion of independent judgment. When people are continually immersed in streams of emotionally charged content, it becomes difficult to step back and evaluate claims carefully. The Pipers' melodies are constant, and it is often easier to follow than to question.

One difference between the fable and now is that there are multiple pipers, though what you respond to will increasingly result in more affirmation of the perspective you're leaning into.

History reminds us that charismatic voices have always had the ability to sway crowds. What is different today is scale and speed. A manipulative message can circle the globe before reason has time to catch up. Political movements, commercial interests, and ideological campaigns all compete to command the tune, and our loyalty. This is where the real battleground it.

The antidote is not silence but discernment. Citizens must cultivate habits of skepticism, patience, and humility in the face of persuasive appeals. The responsibility ultimately rests with individuals who choose whether to follow the music or pause long enough to ask where these Piper intend to lead us.

Photo of Paquita, a girl from the orphanage in Mexico where we once served. 

Eight Stories About Propaganda from the Century of Spin

I've numerous times labeled the 20th century as "The Century of Spin." When we look back we see not only events, but the battles to explain or interpret the meaning of these events. For example, we've seen the government's transparent and not-so-transparent efforts to sell the public to favor participation in foreign wars. 

Having spent 30 years of my career in public relations (as part of a career in marketing), I've had a front row seat on how influence works and the role of media in shaping public opinion. What surprises me is how readily the public seems to swallow one-sided interpretations of events that are clearly complex and nuanced. 

I find it striking that what seems obvious to one appears odious to another. Then again, that is the world we live in. 

Here are links to eight blogposts related to the issue of propaganda. My aim is to help us became more discerning news consumers.

PROPAGANDA LINKS

Propaganda Revisited

Crowds On Demand: Believe Nothing You Hear, and Only One Half That You See

He Who Controls the Narrative Controls the People

Is the U.S. Media a Mouthpiece for the State? Stephen Kinzer Argues "Yes"

The Purpose of Propaganda: Social Engineering

Torches of Freedom: The Use of Propaganda to Get More Women Using Tobacco

PR & Propaganda

Bertrand Russell's Free Thought and Official Propaganda Has Much to Say about the Current State of Cancel Culture

Bad Blood: The Theranos Story

If it seems too good to be true, dig a little deeper and you may find out that your instincts were well founded. I remember about two decades ago how a woman claimed to have solutions to the energy problem. I can't recall the details other than that it was clear this CEO had a very capable PR team. She was on the cover of several magazines, if I recall correctly. A year later, she was gone. 

Businesses work very hard to project a positive narrative and in a world as messy as ours, there are plenty of folk with money who are eager to invest in (and be part of) the next big thing. Who doesn't like stories that generate hope? We love the feeling of being amazed. 

Unfortunately, many of these stories are more mist than substance. Here's but one example: Theranos. The company's story is told in Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by journalist John Carreyrou. Released in May 2018, Carreryou covers the rise and fall of the multibillion-dollar biotech startup headed by Elizabeth Holmes.

The company was founded in 2003 by then-19-year-old Stanford dropout Holmes. Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard to start Microsoft and Steve Jobs dropped out of college as well, so there's some glamor to these stories of dreamers who skip the formalities of a touted degree.

Holmes claimed that Theranos had developed a revolutionary new blood-testing technology that could run a wide range of tests from a single drop of blood. The story had legs, and Theranos quickly attracted the attention of investors, including a number of heavies like former Secretary of State George Shultz, former Senator Sam Nunn, and media mogul Rupert Murdoch. By 2014, Theranos was valued at $9 billion and Holmes was being hailed as the next Steve Jobs.

All this success drew attention to the company and with it came a skeptical WSJ journalist who began digging a little beneath the surface. When Carreyrou exposed the truth about the company's unfounded claims, Theranos collapsed and Holmes was eventually charged with fraud.

The problem here is that many of the people who invest in these "story companies" have no real understanding of the technology they're reading about, so they buy the yarn. Carreyrou's book is a story about ambition, hubris, and the lengths that people will go to in order to achieve success. Does the name Enron ring a bell? How about Bernie Madoff.

Ultimately, Holmes was convicted of wire fraud in January 2022 and sentenced to 11 years in a federal prison in November. Her attorneys put in an appeal, however, and the rest of the story is yet to be told.

Moral of the story: don't believe everything you read or hear.

Illustration is an AI-revised version of a painting by the author called The Student.

In a Crisis, It's All About Spin Control

After cutting his teeth as a journalist in Chicago, Seymour Hersh moved to Washington to cover the big game. To his surprise, the hard-working Hersh was shocked at the somewhat lazy journalism taking place in D.C. The Pentagon would have press briefings about what was going on in Viet Nam, and the journalists seemed to swallow it all without any serious questioning, turning it into tomorrow's news. 

Now throughout this time, the Pentagon was spinning. And the press went along with it. Hersh didn't, but even when he uncovered explosive stories, the editors at the Associated Press would water them down. 

Frustrated, he broke free and wrote independently, focused primarily on the war. When he learned of a story about an incident in My Lai that the Pentagon was burying, he used his bloodhound instincts to track down Lt. Calley, who was hidden away at the time. When the news broke, it not only shocked Americans but it also  alerted other journalists to stop sleeping. There were stories to be told that the American people needed to hear. The My Lai Massacre story earned Hersh a Pulitzer Prize in 1970.

* * * 

While going through some old files this week I came across a lengthy 1993 article from CFO magazine titled Spin Control. The article is primarily written for C-suite executives to improve the way they work with the media during a crisis. 

The author, Anne Monroe, interviewed three industry veterans with regard to the "fine art of communicating bad news." Although CEOs are certainly on the firing line in a crisis, it's CFOs who interface with the financial community who must sell the spin on Wall Street. 

The article proceeds to tell a tale of three companies that faced different issues and how they handled them. Tim Metz, who had experience on both sides of the desk, stated that "you have only two things to sell: your competence in framing an effective message and your integrity. In all, you must make sure you remain firmly rooted in the facts."

* * * 

What happens when there are no facts, only perceptions? This seems to be the current status of life within the Beltway. You can hardly turn around without running into another crisis. 

The article closes with a series of statements regarding how crises are mismanaged. 

HOW TO MISMANAGE A CRISIS

1. Ignore or deny the problem.
(Isn't this what's happening at the border right now?)

2. Compartmentalize
(Another form of denial in which the blame is laid elsewhere. "Not my fault.")

3. Lie, or Tell Misleading Half-Truths
(Lying is unacceptable, but maybe we can downplay the problem by revealing only part of what's really happening or its consequences.)

4. Dribble Out Bad News
(One way to ensure that the story continues instead of making a clean breast of things so you can move on.)

5. Assign Blame
(That's the name of the game in D.C., isn't it?) 

6. Panic and Paralysis
("Looks like we'll have to order a few more pizzas. It's gonna be a late one.")

7. Overreact
(It happens. "We have to take action!" 
"Yes, sir, but we don't have the facts."
"Who cares about facts? It's time for action. I have to look like I've got things under control."

* * * 

This week was President Biden's first summit with international leaders. The spin doctors were busy scripting long before the events of this week began. What really happened is hard to say. If you read a cross-section of media outlets you'll find find every shade of spin. Perceptions are quite malleable. Here's some commentary extracted from the Twitterverse.

Biden comes out stronger from this summit. Look how much smaller Putin seems today than in Helsinki in 2018.

The big summit. Biden shows up with cue cards. Putin shows up with brains.

Did Biden make us proud or what! So much stronger & smarter than the last guy!

Biden is dominating Putin in this summit, and both men know it.

Pres. Biden declared the summit a success at his solo press conference, saying "I did what I came to do."

Biden blew the summit as soon as he sat down

Schiff: The Biden-Putin summit "marked a new turn in America’s relationship with Russia – one defined by a strong and forceful rejection of Putin's authoritarianism, adherence to our values, support for human rights around the world, and the advancement of American interests."

NY Post: Biden bumbles and Putin preens at summit.

Who knows? It was an event, and the really important things that came out of this may not be known for 20 years. 

Meantime, life goes on....

Related Link
He Who Controls the Narrative Controls the People