There are two kinds of people who repeat propaganda: the ones doing it on purpose, and the ones who genuinely believe it to be true. This day is about the second group — journalists, officials, and public figures who aren't lying when they repeat lines like 'this has nothing to do with religion' or 'the West brought this on itself.' They actually believe it. That's exactly what makes them so useful.

After 9/11, a well-meaning instinct — don't let this turn into hatred of ordinary Muslims — lined up almost perfectly with what the actual attackers wanted said: don't call us terrorists, call us freedom fighters; don't blame us, blame the West. Genuinely moral people and people repeating an enemy's talking points ended up saying nearly identical things, for very different reasons.

Some of today's most prominent journalists still seem to sincerely believe uncorroborated claims about mass atrocities that independent, on-the-ground reporting hasn't been able to confirm — and haven't walked those claims back even after they prove false. Whether they know they're repeating a script or not is almost beside the point. The public still ends up misinformed either way.

One useful, simple test: does what a person says consistently match what the other side wants said, regardless of the facts on the ground? That gap — not motive, not intention — is what's worth tracking, and it's a big part of why real victims' stories get crowded out.