DC,

Illiterates can watch, listen, "understand" and if delivered right, "feel" the message via TV.  Radio in the 1920s, 30s, 40s, and early 50s was the first wave of mass propaganda delivery.  Laptops, pads, and smart phones is the beginning of the third generation of propaganda delivery.  True, the media in its various forms is a double edged sword but government without a free media is a recipe for societal suicide.