Propaganda
Propaganda has Two Types:
• Simple Propaganda
• Systemic Propaganda (Propaganda Model)
Propaganda has Two Types:
• Simple Propaganda
– Assertions in Media
• Systemic Propaganda (Propaganda Model)
– Omissions in Media
Propaganda has Two Types:
• Simple Propaganda
– Assertions in Media
– Targeted Messages
• Systemic Propaganda (Propaganda Model)
– Omissions in Media
Propaganda has Two Types:
• Simple Propaganda
– Assertions in Media
– Targeted Messages
– Purposeful Transmission
• Systemic Propaganda (Propaganda Model)
– Omissions in Media
– Non-Transmission
• Purposeful
• Non-Purposeful
Simple Propaganda
“Propaganda is a systematic form of
purposeful persuasion that attempts to
influence the emotions, attitudes, opinions,
and actions of specified target audiences for
ideological, political or commercial purposes
through the controlled transmission of onesided messages (which may or may not be
factual) via mass and direct media channels.”
Richard Alan Nelson, A Chronology and Glossary of
Propaganda in the United States, 1996
Simple
Propaganda
Simple
Propaganda
Simple
Propaganda
Simple
Propaganda
Simple
Propaganda
Simple Propaganda
Simple Propaganda
Simple Propaganda
Simple Propaganda
Simple Propaganda
Simple Propaganda
Obama Girl
Simple
Propaganda
Simple
Propaganda
Simple Propaganda
Simple Propaganda
Simple Propaganda?
Are Either of these Propaganda?
Are Either of these Propaganda?
Simple Propaganda
Singular Existential Threat
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Singular Existential Threat
“The art of leadership, as displayed by really great
popular leaders in all ages, consists in
consolidating the attention of the people against a
single adversary and taking care that nothing will
split up that attention into sections. The more the
militant energies of the people are directed
towards one objective the more will new recruits
join the movement, attracted by the magnetism of
its unified action, and thus the striking power will
be all the more enhanced.”
—Hitler in Mein Kampf (My Struggle)
Singular Existential Threat
“The leader of genius must have the ability
to make different opponents appear as if
they belonged to the one category; for weak
and wavering natures among a leader's
following may easily begin to be dubious
about the justice of their own cause if they
have to face different enemies.”
—Hitler in Mein Kampf (My Struggle)
Accusations are Reflections
“As a general principle, Jewry carries on its
campaign in the various countries by the use
of arguments that are best calculated to
appeal to the mentality of the respective
nations and are most likely to produce the
desired results; for Jewry knows what the
public feeling is in each country.”
—Hitler in Mein Kampf (My Struggle)
Omnipresent Enemy
“Hence it is that at the present time the Jew
is the great agitator for the complete
destruction of Germany. Whenever we read
of attacks against Germany taking place
in any part of the world the Jew is always
the instigator.”
—Hitler in Mein Kampf (My Struggle)
Anti-Americanism
(as global propaganda)
A Sad Story:
“America must be behind it…”
Systemic Propaganda
(Propaganda Model)
How many Iraqi civilians
have died in the Iraq War?
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9,000
50,000
92,000
151,000
655,000
1,033,000 (total: civilians, soldiers,
insurgents)
How many Iraqi civilians
have died in the Iraq War?
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9,000
50,000
92,000 (Iraq Body Count)
151,000 (WHO, 2008)
655,000 (John Hopkins University, 2006)
1,033,000 (ORB survey of Iraq War
casualties)
How many U.S. soldiers
died in Vietnam?
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6,000
58,217
110,342
164,450
240,000
How many U.S. soldiers
died in Vietnam?
• 6,000
• 58,217
• 110,342
• 164,450
• 240,000
But what has been omitted from
these numbers?
• http://civilians.info/iraq/
The Propaganda Model
• Systemic biases in the mass media
• Explains them in terms of structural
economic causes
• Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman
The Propaganda Model:
The Five Filters
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Ownership of the medium
Medium's funding sources
Sourcing
Flak
Anti-communist ideology
The Propaganda Model:
The Five Filters
• Ownership of the medium
– Corporations
– To survive they must maximize profit and thus
sacrifice news objectivity
The Propaganda Model:
The Five Filters
• Ownership of the medium
• Medium's funding sources
– Advertising
– Interests of advertisers come before reporting
the news
– the news itself is nothing more than "filler" to
get privileged readers to see the
advertisements
The Propaganda Model:
The Five Filters
• Ownership of the medium
• Medium's funding sources
• Sourcing
– Need for continuous flow of information
– Government bodies
• provide them with facilities in which to gather
• give journalists advance copies of speeches and
forthcoming reports
• schedule press conferences to meet news deadlines
• Media savvy language
The Propaganda Model:
The Five Filters
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Ownership of the medium
Medium's funding sources
Sourcing
Flak
– negative responses to a media statement or
program
• En masse
• White House
• Political Campaigns
The Propaganda Model:
The Five Filters
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Ownership of the medium
Medium's funding sources
Sourcing
Flak
Anti-communist ideology
– anti-ideology
– exploit fear and hatred of nemesis
• fundamentally compromised due to fall of USSR
– Replaced with anti-terrorism
Is Wikipedia Propaganda?
What we are witnessing today, is the alarming rise
of the fallacy of the infallible collective. Numerous
elite organizations have been swept off their feet
by the idea. They are inspired by the rise of the
Wikipedia, by the wealth of Google and by the rush
of entrepreneurs to be the most Meta. Government
agencies, top corporate planning departments and
major universities have all gotten the bug. This is
digital Maoism.
—Jaron Lanier
http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/lanier06/lanier06_index.html
What Media is Not Propaganda?
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Newspapers? Which ones?
TV news? TV shows?
Hollywood fictional films?
Blogs?
Wikipedia?
Google search results?
Personal communication?