Propaganda
Techniques
in the Media
How do you decide who
is the best candidate…
or which is the
best toothpaste ?
Looking for facts to
back up your choice is
an excellent idea, but
find out who is
presenting those facts.
Clipart-Microsoft Office XP 2002
Are they facts at
all, or is the
advertiser using
propaganda
techniques to
persuade you?
What is Propaganda?
Any persuasive technique
whether in print or electronic
media whose purpose is to
influence your opinions,
emotions, and attitudes
What is Propaganda?
Print media: newspapers,
magazines, books, billboards
Electronic media: radio.
Television, CDs, DVDs,
movies, video tapes,
documentary films, the
internet
What is Propaganda?

It tells only the side the author
wants the audience to know

It appeals to emotions rather
than the intellect

It benefits the person or
organization using it
Goal of Propaganda
To mold opinion or behavior
to support a cause without
concern for the interest or
benefit of the audience
Propaganda
The information reflects the
viewpoints, beliefs, and
biases of the author
Who uses Propaganda?
Military
Media
Advertisers
Politicians
You and I
Logical Fallacies: errors
in reasoning
 False cause- inaccurately drawing a causeand-effect relationship between two events that
follow one after another
 Overgeneralization – making a sweeping
statement that does not provide any
reasonable supporting evidence as proof
 bandwagon – urging the audience to do
something because everyone else is doing it
Logical Fallacies: errors
in reasoning
 ad hominem - personally attacking
someone in order to shift attention away
from his or her views
 Either-or-fallacy – presenting only two
possible sides or solutions to an issue
when there are more possibilities
 Red herring – changing the subject in
order to avoid the issue
What are some of the techniques
used to persuade us?
•Name-calling
•Glittering Generality
•Bandwagon
•Testimonial
•Plain-folks appeal
•Transfer
•Faulty Reasoning
•Fear
Name-Calling
 links a person, product, or idea, to a
negative symbol
 the implication is that we shouldn’t
be interested in it
 seeks to make us form a judgment to
reject and condemn without
examining the evidence
 “slamming the competition”
Name-Calling
At Burger King, you can
have your Flame-broiled
Whopper made your
way, We’re proud to say
we serve individuals,
not billions.
Name Calling Example
Do we want a mayor who will
leave us in debt?
Clipart-Microsoft Office XP 2002
Spending grew 100%
under Mayor Moneybags!
Glittering Generality
 Name-Calling in reverse
 Seeks to make us approve and
accept without examining the
evidence
 A commonly admired virtue is used
to inspire positive feelings for a
person, idea, or product
Glittering Generality
 We believe in, fight for, live by virtue
words about which we have deep-set
ideas including: civilization, freedom,
Christianity, good, proper, right,
democracy, beauty, patriotism, low
fat, honor, prosperity, new, health,
happiness, motherhood, fatherhood,
science, truth, medicine, and love.
Glittering Generalities Examples
Words such as luxury, beautiful, paradise, and economical
are used to evoke positive feelings in the viewer.
Bandwagon
 If you want to fit in, you need to
“jump on the bandwagon” and do it
too
 Implication is that you must JOIN in
to FIT in
 Directs appeal to groups held together
already by common ties, ties of
nationality, religion, race, sex,
vocation
Bandwagon Example
Testimonial
 A famous person endorses an idea, a
product, a candidate
 If someone famous uses this product,
believes this idea, or supports this
candidate, so should we
 Most common misuse involves using
individuals who are not qualified to
make judgments about a particular
issue or product
Testimonial
example:
If we drink milk
we will all be as
famous or fit as
Beyoncè!
Testimonial Example
An important person or famous figure endorses a product.
Plain Folks
 Identifies
product/idea
with a locality or
country
 Practical product
for ordinary
people.
Like a good neighbor…
Plain-Folks
 This idea, product, or person is
associated with normal, everyday
people and activities
 Speakers attempt to convince their
audience that they, and their ideas, are
"of the people"
Plain Folks Example:
We want Jim Smith, a
mayor who supports the
regular American worker.
Clipart-Microsoft Office XP 2002
Vote for Smith
Transfer
 Carries over the authority, sanction,
and prestige of something we
respect to something he would
have us accept
 Transfers positive feelings we have
of something we know to
something we don’t
Transfer Example
Good feelings, looks, or ideas transferred to the
person for whom the product is intended.
Faulty Reasoning
 Only using facts that support an
argument
 Attempting to lead the audience into
accepting the facts as a conclusion
 Selective omission
 Most difficult to detect because it does
not provide all of the information
necessary for the audience to make an
informed decision
Faulty Reasoning
Factual supporting details are
used though they do not
support the conclusion. It
works like this:
•Christians believe in God.
•Muslims believe in God.
•Christians are Muslims.
Faulty Cause & Effect Example
Use of a product is credited for creating a positive
result.
Fear
 Our fears are displayed.
 Ideas, candidates, or
products are shown to put
our fears to rest.
Fear Example
How do we make sure that we are
making informed choices,
Clipart-Microsoft Office XP 2002
instead of allowing others to sway us
in our decision-making?
Strategies: Source
 Who created the message?
 How do the creators’
viewpoints or biases affect
the message?
Strategies: Purpose
Why was the message
created?
To persuade?
To inform?
To entertain?
Strategies: Word Choice
 What kind of language is used
to express the message?
 Is figurative language used to
make the message seem more
meaningful?
 Is technical language used to
make it seem more technical?
Strategies: Cultural Elements
 Does the message transmit
or communicate, culturevalues that reflect a
particular group or nation?
Strategies: Symbols
 Does the message
represent ideas, principles,
or people through
symbols?
 How might symbols have
an impact on the audience?
Strategies: Target Audience
 Is the message tailored to a
specific intended audience?
 Do the creators of the
message use stereotypes of
people—for example children
or teenagers—to connect with
the audience?
Strategies: Design Elements
and/or Film Techniques
 How is the message virtually
composed?
 Do design elements such as
color, line, and texture enhance
the message?
 Are film techniques or special
effects used to manipulate the
audience’s reaction?
We make our own
choices when …

We read and listen to reliable
sources,

We watch for combinations of
truths and lies,


We check for hidden messages,
We watch for use of propaganda
techniques,
and, most importantly,
www.scottish.parliament.uk/ educationservice
WHEN WE LISTEN TO OUR
OWN VOICES !
Sources
 http://griffinmiddleschool.typepad.com/stephanie_hines
/files/Propaganda.ppt
 http://jc-schools.net/ppt/propaganda.ppt
 Glencoe Literature Texas Treasures
 http://alex.state.al.us/uploads/13676/Whose%20Voice
%20Guides%20Your%20Choice.ppt
 http://www.ahistoryteacher.com/propaganda/Propagan
da-Basic.ppt