PROPAGANDAPROPAGANDA

What is propaganda

• “Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist.”

• —Jowett & O'Donnell, Propaganda and Persuasion

• Any information, ideas, doctrines or special appeals, disseminated to influence the opinions, emotions, attitudes or behaviors of any specified group in order to benefit the sponsor, either directly or indirectly.

• __ NATO Definition

Let’s start with the (pre-) conceptions

• Propaganda is about lying or, at best, half-truths• It is about playing to emotions rather than reason• It is a ‘dirty trick’ designed to get people to do

something they might not otherwise have done• It is only done by ‘them’ i.e. dictators who fear

public opinion – ‘we’ tell the truth• It is only done in wartime by democracies• It is an abuse of communications processes

What it really is

• It is a process of communications/persuasion between sender and recipient

• As such, it is value-neutral• It depends for its success upon credibility• It lies on the spectrum of communication of who

says what, when, how and with what effect.• To distinguish it from other forms of

communication, it needs to add why• Therefore the question of intent is critical

Main historical campaigns

• ‘the campaign against American neutrality’, 1914-17• ‘we were hypnotized as a rabbit is by a snake’, 1918• ‘workers of the world unite’• ‘the free world vs. the slave world’, 1939 onwards,

1945 onwards• Free market liberal democratic capitalism vs.

communism and now ‘rogue states’/’axis of evil’/the global ‘war’ on terrorism

Main propaganda theorists/practices

• Vatican invented the word!• Propagation of cultures/germination of

seeds• The authoritarian model (Mussolini,

Soviet Union, Nazi Germany)• The democratic response (‘Strategy of

Truth’)• Lippmann, Bernays, Hitler, Ellul

Five characteristics of propaganda

• Propaganda is in the eye of the beholder.– “I’m persuading. The

other guy is using propaganda.”

• Propaganda has a strong ideological bent.– example: PETA,

Queer Nation, or the Army of God

• Propaganda is institutional in nature. It is practiced by organized groups– governments,

corporations, social movements, special interests

• Propaganda relies on mass persuasion– television, radio,

Internet, billboards

• Propaganda tends to rely on ethically suspect methods of influence.– deception,

distortion, misrepresentation, or suppression of information.

Different types of propaganda

• Black (or covert)• White (or overt)• Grey (unknown source)• Cohesive propaganda• Divisive propaganda

– Cohesive propaganda• Create goodwill

• Promote friendship

• Raise morale

• Stress common interests

• Gain co-operation

– Divisive propaganda• Lower morale

• Create apathy, defeatism & discord

• Promote dissention, panic subversion, resistance, desertion, surrender & defection

Domestic or foreign

• Home propaganda usually plays out under ‘information’ policy – ‘we tell the truth to our people’, ‘they tell lies about us’

• International propaganda: is it an interference with the internal affairs of other nations?

• Censorship and propaganda have been traditional handmaidens – but is this possible any more in the ‘information age’

• Blurring of ‘domestic’ and ‘foreign’ within the context of globalization

Main historical campaigns

• ‘the campaign against American neutrality’, 1914-17• ‘we were hypnotized as a rabbit is by a snake’, 1918• ‘workers of the world unite’• ‘the free world vs. the slave world’, 1939 onwards,

1945 onwards• Free market liberal democratic capitalism vs.

communism and now ‘rogue states’/’axis of evil’/the global ‘war’ on terrorism

Common propaganda techniques

• plain folks appeal (“I’m one of you”)• testimonials (“I saw the aliens, sure as I’m standing

here”)• bandwagon effect (everybody’s doing it)• card-stacking (presenting only one side of the story)• transfer (positive or negative associations, such as guilt

by association)• glittering generalities (idealistic or loaded language,

such as “freedom” “empowering,” “family values”)• name calling (“racist,” “tree hugger,” “femi-nazi”)

plain folks appeal

• Based on the “common man,” “person on the street” or the “little guy”

• A politician calls himself a “populist” or “man of the people”

• “In this time of change, government must take the side of working families.” (George Bush, address at the Republican National Convention, Sept. 3, 2004.

testimonials• Anecdotal evidence for diet pills, herbal remedies,

new-age crystals, etc.• Anecdotal evidence of alien abductions, psychic

phenomena• “I saw what looked to be a hairy human figure,

about 6-6 1/2' tall, running behind my bike. Scared the crap out of me, so I hit the throttle and did what I could to get out of there.” (from the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organizations Website, report # 13424

bandwagon effect

• a “herd” mentality, following the crowd, or “counting heads”

• An employee caught pilfering says, “everyone else does it.”

• “A majority of Americans - 57% - say they believe in psychic phenomena such as ESP, telepathy or experiences that can’t be explained by normal means.” (CBS poll, April 28, 2002)

transfer

• Projecting good or bad qualities from one person or group onto another

• The positive or negative association will “rub off” on the other person or group

• Politicians posing next to the flag, with troops, with veterans to appear patriotic

• An ad for a dietary supplement features a researcher in a white lab coat with a clip board to make the product appear more scientific

glittering generalities

• Using virtuous words; democracy, freedom, justice, patriotism, family values, motherhood, progress

• Embracing values at a high level of abstraction– “change”– “green”– “reform”

• “patriotism is always more than just loyalty to a place on a map or a certain kind of people. Instead, it is also loyalty to America’s ideals – ideals for which anyone can sacrifice, or defend, or give their last full measure of devotion.” Barack Obama, June 30, 2008

name calling

• Ad hominem attacks• tree-hugging liberals, right-wing zealots, femi-nazis,

bureaucrats• Barack Obama “palls around with terrorists.”• “Despite the hysterics of a few pseudo-scientists,

there is no reason to believe in global warming” Rush Limbaugh, See I told You So (1993)

• “secular progressives made great inroads over the past five years" and "if you don't believe that ... you're a moron." Bill O’Reilly, Dec 19, 2005, on his syndicated radio show, the Radio Factor