NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A traveling exhibition about propaganda will be on display at the National World War II Museum, starting this month.
"State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda" comes from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. It will be on display at the New Orleans museum from Jan. 27 through June 18, according to a news release.
It shows, chronologically, how the Nazis used biased information to sway public opinion in the years leading up to and during World War II, the news release says.
It also looks at what propaganda is, how it operates, why it works and why it's important for people to protect themselves from propaganda.
The World War II museum plans numerous public programs to look at techniques used by the Nazis, such as mass communication, advertising and social psychology.
"Adolf Hitler was an avid student of propaganda and borrowed methods from the Allies in World War I, his Socialist and Communist rivals, the Italian Fascist Party and contemporary advertising," said exhibition curator Steven Luckert of the Holocaust museum. "Drawing upon these models, he successfully marketed the Nazi Party, its ideology and himself to the German people."
The exhibit uses posters, photos, newsreels and media pieces to help people understand, recognize and effectively respond to hateful messages and violent agendas, said World War II Museum curator Kim Guise.
"We hope visitors will walk away from State of Deception with a better understanding that propaganda is a powerful tool that can be used to foster tremendous hatred and harm, and the implications of it can last for years to come," she said.