Public Opinion

Walter Lippmann 1889–1974 – American writer, journalist, propagandist, and sociologist, one of the creators of modern American liberalism, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner. He actively participated in the election campaign of American President Woodrow Wilson and in the development of the "Fourteen Points" – the American program for post-war world development. During World War I, he was engaged in propaganda issues and wrote countless leaflets and articles; however, he was later removed from his position by Wilson due to ideological disagreements. Lippmann's idea that propaganda should serve not so much the cause of victory as the foundation for a just post-war world was deemed unacceptable. In his work "Public Opinion," the author combined philosophical, psychological, historical, sociological, and political analysis and introduced the concepts of pseudo-environment and stereotype, which, in his view, call into question the fundamental possibility of democratic development. The author supports his findings with numerous examples that impress the modern reader with their enduring relevance.