Propaganda Techniques
Ten Commandments of
Propaganda
1) Divide and Conquer
a) More small groups are easier to pit against each other
2) Tell the people what they want
a) Pander to the masses
3) The bigger the lie, the more people will
believe it
a) Make statements grandiose and loud
4) ALWAYS appeal to the lowest common
denominator
a) It’s O.K. to “dumb it down”
Ten Commandments of
Propaganda (cont)
5)Generalize as much as possible
a) Paint in broad strokes
6) Use "expert" testimonial
a) Have someone known or relatable “pitch”
it
7) Refer often to the "authority" of your
office
a) Remind public of knowledge and power
Ten Commandments of
Propaganda (cont)
8) Stack the cards with "information"
a)Use as much supportive evidence as possible
9) A confused people are easily led
a)More informed means more skeptical
10) Get the "plain folks" onto the "bandwagon"
a)Appeal to the common man & he will follow
Keystone Mandated Propaganda
Strategies
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6.
7.
8.
9.
Name-Calling
Bandwagon
Red Herring
Emotional Appeal/Loaded Words
Testimonial
Repetition
Glittering/Sweeping Generalizations
Circular Arguments
Appeal to Numbers, Facts, and Statistics
Additional Propaganda Strategies All
Citizens Should Understand
• Fear
• Scapegoating
• Black and White
Slogan
Slogan
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A catchword or phrase loaded with emotion
Jingle--A musical phrase the audience will remember
Often sells through repetition
Clever and easy to remember
Stays with you a long time
Often a melody you already know
“Trust Sleepy’s
For the ‘rest’
Of your life”
Whose slogan is: “Maybe she’s
born with it, maybe it’s…”
Whose slogan is:
“I’m Loving It”
Whose slogan is:
“Have it Your Way.”
Whose slogan is:
“Live in your world, play in
ours.”
Whose slogan is:
“Challenge Everything.”
Whose slogan is “Good to the
last drop.”
Whose slogan is: “Thousands
of Possibilities. Get Yours.”
Whose slogan is: “Expect
More. Pay Less.”
Whose slogan is:
“Breakfast of Champions.”
Whose slogan is: “A Diamond
is Forever.”
Slogan Example
They’re
GRRRRRRREAT!
Name-Calling
Know for Keystone
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Name-Calling
The name-calling technique links a person, or idea, to a negative symbol.
A way of smearing an opponent
Intent is to damage opponent
It also arouses suspicion of opponent
Intention is to create an uneasy feeling
Used to try to avoid supporting their own opinion with facts.
Rather than explain what they believe in, they prefer to try to tear their
opponent down.
• Used by politicians and product companies
• The most obvious type of name calling involves bad names.
• For example, consider the following:
Communist
Criminal
Terrorist
Fascist
Liar
Bum
Name Calling:
Examples
Candidates for the 2008
Presidential election used name
calling in their ads, as in past
elections. Barack Obama says
that John McCain has “same old
politics, same failed policies”.
Obama implies that McCain is
not the best choice and he
doesn’t have the best solutions
to America’s problems.
Name-Calling:
An attack on a person instead of an issue.
Republicans have begun to emphasis Barack Obama's middle name
Hussein in an attempt to spread doubts about his patriotism and raise
fears among voters that he is a closet Muslim.
Propaganda Techniques
2 Name Calling
(negative names or
adjectives)
Name-Calling
Name-Calling
"The Jew: The
inciter of war, the
prolonger of war."
Glittering or Sweeping
Generalities
Know for Keystone
Glittering Generalities
• The Glittering Generality is, in short, Name
Calling in reverse.
• The Glittering Generality device seeks to make
us approve and accept without examining the
evidence.
• Uses important-sounding "glad words"
– little or no real meaning.
• Used in general statements that cannot be proved or
disproved.
– Words like "good," "honest," "fair," and "best" are
examples of "glad" words.
Glittering Generalities
• Virtue Words:
• We believe in, fight for, live by virtue words about which
we have deep-set ideas.
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Civilization
Christianity
Good
Proper
Right
Democracy
Patriotism
Motherhood
Fatherhood
Science
Health
Love
Glittering Generalities in Text
• STATEMENT: “We are at a crossroads for
human destiny! We must chose a true leader
for our city.”
• EXPLANATION: The attempt here is to get the
audience emotionally connected to the subject
through use of words such as “destiny” and
“leader.”
• WHY IT IS PROPAGANDA: The candidate may
or may not be a good leader. The text provides
no evidence to suggest actual positive
qualities.
Glittering Generalities
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•
•
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This propaganda technique provides glowing claims but nothing to back up the
claims.
For instance, “This is the best car on the road.”
A generality is a vague (not very specific) word, phrase, or statement. Examples:
better, best, good tasting, awesome, refreshing…
A glittering generality is one that has a feel-good quality to it.
Glittering Generalities in Media
• STATEMENT: “Change We Can Believe In.”
• PROPAGANDA: The audience is meant to be lured in by the
promise of “change.” The idea is catchy and attractive, but
without substance or evidence.
Glittering generalities:
Examples
• A positive (yet actually vague) word to describe a
political stance too.
• Politicians often use glittering generalities so they
do not actually have to discuss how they will solve
problems; however, if we elect them, they will
solve our problems.
…and yes, even the Navy
has used them.
Glittering Generalities
Examples:
–Coca-Cola: It’s “the Real Thing”
–United Airlines is your ticket to
“Friendly Skies”
–Politicians referring to the “middle
class”—it sounds attractive, but nearly
everyone considers him or herself to
be in the middle class
Glittering Generalities
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•
•
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“A growing body of evidence suggests.”
Up to 50 % off!
Dove chocolate claims it is an “experience like no other.”
Propel Water sells itself as the fitness water. Its current slogan
is “Fit has a feeling.” Can you get even emptier and vaguer
• “Glittering” because it’s falsely attractive
• Often used by politicians
Glittering Generalities
• Glittering generalities are
words that are patriotic,
attractive, or catchy but don’t
really say anything: honor,
glory, love of country, and
freedom.
• When examined closely,
these words have little
meaning and little
relationship to what they
advertise.
Propaganda Techniques
3. Glittering Generality
(Good adjectives / names)
Glittering Generalities
"Open the door to freedom!
Put a strong man at the helm!
Out of the swamp! Forward
with the powers of renewal!”
Glittering Generalities
Testimonial
Know for Keystone
Testimonial:
• When "big name" personalities are used
to endorse a product.
– Whenever you see someone famous
endorsing a product, ask yourself how
much that person knows about the
product, and what he or she stands to
gain by promoting it.
Testimonial
• A celebrity or expert who endorse a
product, candidate, or idea.
• Think about all of the commercials
with celebrities.
• The celebrity may not always be
qualified to speak on the subject.
Testimonial
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•
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•
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Statement endorsing an idea/product by a prominent person.
Product can be inside or outside particular field.
Musical artists,
Sports giants,
Actors/actresses
Testimonial
Testimonial in Text
• STATEMENT: “Kobe Bryant only drinks Coke.”
• EXPLANATION: The attempt here is to get the
audience to consume a certain product because
a celebrity uses the product.
• WHY IT IS PROPAGANDA: While the product may
or may not be high quality, there is nothing
regarding quality established by the statement
that a celebrity consumes it.
Testimonial
An important person or famous figure endorses a product.
Testimonial
• Testimonials are
quotations or
endorsements which
connect a famous or
respectable person with
a product or item.
Testimonial
in Media
 STATEMENT: “I
choose milk.”
 PROPAGANDA:
Taylor Swift’s
choice to drink
milk is meant to
make the
audience
members believe
milk will help
them be
beautiful and
glamorous as
well.
Testimonial
Testimonial
Testimonial
Bandwagon
Know for Keystone
Bandwagon
• Hop on the bandwagon or else you don’t fit in.
Everyone is doing it, so you should too.
• This technique is contrived peer pressure – no
one wants to be left out or behind.
• Because everyone else is doing something,
you should do it too, or you'll be left out.
– The technique embodies a "keeping up with the
Joneses" philosophy.
Bandwagon:
“It had to be good to get where it is”
1926
Bandwagon:
• Bandwagon:
Everyone else is
doing it, so I should
too.
Bandwagon Technique
• Everyone is doing it! You
should too!!!
Bandwagon in
Media
• STATEMENT: “More
people are smoking
Camels than ever
before.”
• PROPAGANDA: The
attempt is to make
the audience want to
join a large number of
people.
Propaganda Techniques
4. Bandwagon
(everyone’s doing it)
Bandwagon
• “Everything and everyone for victory”
Bandwagon
Bandwagon
• Everyone
listens to the
Fuhrer
Red Herring
Know for Keystone
Red Herring
Propaganda
Technique
Red Herring
Definition
-Distracting with an
unrelated point
-"winning" an argument by
leading attention away
from the argument and to
another topic.
Red Herring
Presenting data or issues that, while compelling,
are irrelevant to the argument at hand, and then
claiming that it validates the argument.
For instance, I will say America is a great
country so you should buy my beer.
• Red Herring:
• Propagandists use this diversionary tactic to draw
one's attention away from the real subject.
• Guard against this technique by showing how the
argument has gotten off track and bring it back to
the issue at hand.
• Presenting data or issues that, while compelling, are
irrelevant to the argument at hand, and then
claiming that it validates the argument.
• Highlighting a minor detail as a way to draw
attention from the important issue.
Red Herring
• A red herring is an attempt to
distract the reader with details
not relevant to the argument.
• Example: The lawyer of a
young man accused of
assaulting his girlfriend
described the case as a "very
minor matter". The lawyer
stated that “ninety people
died in Iraq today, most of
them kids," making his client’s
actions “a very minor matter."
Red Herring Examples
• Never-ware cookware will look beautiful on
your shelf for generations! (No mention of its
cooking value is made.)
• Mentioning that you did well on your math
test when your parents are upset about your
English score.
Red Herring:
Attempts to distract the reader with details not relevant to
the argument.
Red Herring
Video Games: Collecting inventory items or items of scenery (usually meant to distract
or take up time from a quest or goal)
Never-ware cookware will look beautiful on your
shelf for generations!
No mention of its cooking value is made.
Red Herring
What is this an
advertisement for?
Fear
Fear
• During wartime this technique is
used often.
• It informs people that personal
danger is imminent if they do or
do not do some specific action.
Fear
•Our fears are displayed.
•Ideas, candidates, or products
are shown to put our fears to
rest.
Fear
Fear
Fear
Fear
Fear
Loaded Language or Emotional
Words
Know for Keystone
Loaded Languages or Emotional
Words
• The use of emotional
words is meant to stir the
audience’s emotions,
making little or no use of
facts.
• Words such as love, adore,
hate, care, and/or support
may be used to attach the
audience’s emotions to a
product or idea.
Loaded Language or Emotional Words
• Sometimes an author uses words with
strongly positive or negative connotations.
Ex.: “Start your day with Morning Glory’s
refreshing all-natural juice.”
Loaded Language or
Emotional Words
• Words that a lot of people
have strong feelings
about.
• Some examples are evil,
sweet, soul mate,
dangerous, murderer, etc.
• Use “loaded” words like .
..
– new
– improved
– best
Loaded Words
Whitening Expressions
Refreshing Vanilla Mint
Get a cool and inviting
brushing experience
with Crest Whitening
Expressions Refreshing
Vanilla Mint.
Loaded WORDS
This billboard
advertisement uses
the word
“irresistible” to
appeal to our
emotions.
The visual is also very
appealing.
Emotional Words in Text
• STATEMENT: “If you love your dog, you’ll buy
him Eukanuba.”
• EXPLANATION: The attempt here is to get the
audience to attach the emotion of love to a
product.
• WHY IT IS PROPAGANDA: The true love one
may feel for a dog has no actual relationship
to the purchase of dog food.
Emotional Words in Media
• STATEMENT: “Don’t let
your loved ones mourn
for you!”
• PROPAGANDA: The
audience is meant to
connect its positive
emotions for loved ones
to the idea of
surrendering to the
enemy in order to spare
its loved ones pain.
From a leaflet distributed by the North Korean army
encouraging American soldiers to surrender
Emotional or Loaded Words
Words such as luxury, beautiful, paradise, and economical are
used to evoke positive feelings in the viewer.
Emotional Appeal
• An emotional appeal tries
to persuade the reader by
using words that appeal
only to the reader’s
emotions instead of to
logic or reason.
• As previously mentioned,
emotional appeals are not
always bad, they just
should not be the SOLE
basis of an argument
Emotional Appeal:
Tries to persuade the reader’s views based
on emotions instead of logic or reason.
Army Strong
http://crackle.com/c/Commercials/Army_Strong_Commercial/1634956
They connect a feeling
with this organization.
Army strong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSb
CnWe6e1o
Repetition
Know for Keystone
Repetition
Propaganda
Technique
Repetition
Definition
-repeating word/jingle over
and over and over and over so
that it gets stuck in the head
or taken as true
Repetition
• An idea, word, phrase or position repeated in
an attempt to elicit an almost automatic
response from the audience or to reinforce an
audience’s opinion or attitude.
• Product name is repeated at least four times.
• Simplicity and Repetition - Keep it simple and
say it often enough so people will remember it
and believe it
Repetition:
Attempts to persuade a reader with a repeated message.
Repetition
A good example of this is the claim that Saddam Hussein was
responsible for the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
No evidence has been found suggesting collaboration between Iraq and
the Al Qaeda network, yet Bush administration officials have repeatedly
mentioned the two in tandem. As a result, a recent opinion survey by the
Council on Foreign Relations shows that more than 40 percent of the
American people believe that some or all of the attackers on 9/11 were
Iraqi nationals, when in fact none were.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Repetition"
Repetition
 What is repeated in
this ad?
Repetition
Head On Commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_SwD7Rv
eNE&feature=related
Repetition
The product name or keyword or phrase is repeated several times.
How many times can you use the word “Fresh?”
Appeal to Numbers, Facts, and
Statistics
Know for Keystone
Appeal to Number, Facts, &
Statistics
Propaganda
Technique
Appeal to
Number,
Facts, &
Statistics
Definition
-Using large numbers or
misleading facts and
statistics to confuse
propaganda technique or persuasive tactic in
which the reader is persuaded by showing how
many people think something is true
Facts and Figures
Statistics
• In this persuasive technique, numbers,
tables, and graphs are used to show
statistics of both sides.
Facts and Figures
• Facts and Figures –
statistics to prove superiority.
• Magic Ingredients –
suggests some miraculous
discovery makes product
exceptionally effective.
• Hidden Fears – suggests
that user is safe from some
danger.
Appeal to Number, Facts, &
Statistics
-“Coroners have found that 80% of people’s colons
are blocked with waste.”
-“On average, 6 out of 7 dentists prefer Colgate.”
Misuse of Facts, Figures, and Statistics
• Some examples:
• Average results are reported, but not the amount of variation around
the averages. A percent or fraction is presented, but not the sample
size as in "9 out of 10 dentists recommend...".
• Absolute and proportional quantities are mixed as in "3,400 more
robberies occurred in our town last year, whereas other cities hand
an increase of less than one percent".
• Graphs are used that, by chopping off part of the scale or using
unusual units or no scale, distort the appearance of the result.
• Results are reported with misleading precision. For example,
representing 13 out of 19 students as 68.42105 percent.
Appeal to Numbers, Facts, or Statistics:
Using stats to persuade a reader.
Misuse of Statistics
When the statistics are based on a falsehood.
Facts and Figures Example
• An advertisement might read, “This product
kills 99% of your germs.”
• Surveys may be conducted and
the results graphed to show people’s opinions.
This is an ad that riled AT&T
AT&T’s replies in an ad that gives their
version of the map…..
Why the big difference? Hmmmm…
Circular Argument
Know for Keystone
Circular Argument: Very Similar to Logical
Fallacies and False Analogies
• A circular argument
states a conclusion as
part of the proof of
the argument
• Also sometimes called
“begging the
question”
Circular Argument: States a conclusion as part
of the proof of the argument.
Scapegoat
Scapegoat
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•
•
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A person carrying the blame for others
Retreats to prejudice rather than reason
Mostly used in the political arena
Wins audience through association or sympathy
Scapegoat
• Scapegoating is the practice of blaming an individual
or group for a real or perceived failure of others.
• Minorities are often the targets of scapegoating.
• First, minorities are often isolated within society and
are thus an easy target.
• Those in the majority are more easily convinced about
the negative characteristics of a minority with which
they have no direct contact.
• Unemployment, inflation, food shortages, the plague,
and crime in the streets are all examples of ills which
have been blamed on minority groups.
Scapegoat
• SCAPEGOAT:
• This often use with guilt-by-association to
deflect scrutiny away from the issues.
• It transfers blame to one person or group of
people without investigating the complexities
of the issue.
• Examples: "Bill Clinton got us into Bosnia",
"President Reagan caused the national debt".
Scapegoat:
examples
The Poisonous Mushroom
• Anti-Semitic children’s
book which compared
Jews to the poisonous
mushrooms of society.
Scapegoat:
examples
Image from the book, Der Giftpilz
(The Poison Mushroom), published
in 1938 by Julius Streicher.
"The God of the Jews is money. To
earn money, he commits the
greatest crimes. He will not rest until
he can sit on a huge money sack,
until he has become the king of
money."
According to The Poisonous
Mushroom…
“The Jews’ God is money.”
• Just one example of how
the Nazis used
scapegoating and other
forms of propaganda to
try to “recruit” Germans
and others to their side.
• Attempt to manipulate
the minds of children.
Scapegoat:
examples
That’s right! Even Bugs Bunny!
During WWII, even American
cartoons used scapegoating as
a means of “uniting”
Americans…by way of hatred.
The Japanese are dehumanized
in these cartoons and seen as
something almost inhuman.
Scapegoating
• Appeal to prejudice:
using loaded or
emotive terms
• Scapegoating: blaming
an individual or group
• Stereotyping: Name
calling or labeling to
arouse prejudices.
Ethical Society of St. Louis 2007
128
Anti-Semitism - Scapegoating of minorities
Following the devastating outcome of WWI and
the Wall Street of Crash of 1929, Germany was
in a precarious economic position, with
hundreds of thousands out of work. To explain
this, the Nazis blamed the Jews. The Nazi Party
accused them of being a parasitic race that
attached itself to capitalist nations to destabilize
the economy and culture of their ‘host’ nation.
Hitler’s own fanatical anti-semitism became
even more pronounced in party policy after the
Nazi's rise to power in 1933. By blaming a
minority racial group for all of the country's ills,
the Nazis created a set of scapegoats who
could be blamed at every opportunity for almost
anything. In posters, art, cartoons and film, the
Jews were equated with rats and caricatured as
hook nosed misers, stealing money from the
honest ‘Aryan’ German workers.
Black and White
Black and White
• Black and White - Presents an issue as having
only two choices.
• If you don’t like one choice, you must choose the
other
• Used to polarize issues, and negates all attempts
to find a common ground.
– You are either for something or against it
– This technique is also called "black-and-white
thinking" because only two choices are given.; there is
no middle ground or shades of gray
Black and White
• Black and White
Fallacy: “If you’re
not part of the
solution, you’re part
of the problem.”
Only two choices are
possible.
I believe this is Black propaganda.
Ethical Society of St. Louis 2007
132
Black or White
• Either/or Fallacy – assumes that there are only two alternatives.
Either go to college or forget about getting a good job.