1.
Propaganda
20. 3. 2017 Josef Šlerka
Some notes and quotations from Wiki and other
sources (ver.2)

2.
Propaganda
“Propaganda is a persuasive and widespread
message designed to represent the interests of a
particular group. However, what truly sets propaganda
apart from other techniques of mass communication is
that it attempts to bypass logic through faulty
reasoning and emotional appeals.”
Magedah Shabo. “Techniques of Propaganda and
Persuasion.”

3.
Propaganda
Herman and Chomsky (Manufacturing Consent: The
Political Economy of the Mass Media)
Ross' epistemic merit model
(see Wikipedia)

4.
Manufacturing Consent
1. Size, Ownership, and Profit Orientation: The
dominant mass-media outlets are large companies
operated for profit; and, therefore, must cater to the
financial interests of the owners — usually
corporations and controlling investors. The size of a
media company is consequence of the investment
capital required for the mass-communications
technology required to reach a mass audience of
viewers, listeners, and readers.

5.
Manufacturing Consent
2. The Advertising License to Do Business: Since
the majority of the revenue of major media outlets
derives from advertising (not from sales or
subscriptions), advertisers have acquired a "de facto
licensing authority". Media outlets are not
commercially viable without the support of advertisers.
News media must therefore cater to the political
prejudices and economic desires of their advertisers.
This has weakened the working class press, for
example, and also helps explain the attrition in the
number of newspapers.

6.
Manufacturing Consent
3. Sourcing Mass Media News: Herman and
Chomsky argue that “the large bureaucracies of the
powerful subsidize the mass media, and gain special
access [to the news], by their contribution to reducing
the media’s costs of acquiring [...] and producing,
news. The large entities that provide this subsidy
become 'routine' news sources and have privileged
access to the gates. Non-routine sources must
struggle for access, and may be ignored by the
arbitrary decision of the gatekeepers.”

7.
Manufacturing Consent
4. Flak and the Enforcers: "Flak" refers to negative
responses to a media statement or program (e.g.
letters, complaints, lawsuits, or legislative actions).
Flak can be expensive to the media, either due to loss
of advertising revenue, or due to the costs of legal
defense or defense of the media outlet's public image.
Flak can be organized by powerful, private influence
groups (e.g. think tanks). The prospect of eliciting flak
can be a deterrent to the reporting of certain kinds of
facts or opinions.

8.
Manufacturing Consent
5. Anti-Communism: This was included as a filter in
the original 1988 edition of the book, but Chomsky
argues that since the end of the Cold War (1945–91),
anticommunism was replaced by the "War on Terror",
as the major social control mechanism.

9.
Epistemic merit model
"That is... propaganda involve[s]... the one who is
persuading (Sender) [who is] doing so intentionally,
[the] target for such persuasion (Receiver) and [the]
means of reaching that target (Message)."

10.
Epistemic merit model
1. Propaganda involves the intention to persuade.
2. Propaganda is sent on behalf of a sociopolitical
institution organization or cause.
3. The recipient of propaganda is a socially significant
group of people.
4. Propaganda is epistemically defective.

11.
Techniques and
questions
Excerpt From: Magedah Shabo. “Techniques of
Propaganda and Persuasion.”

12.
Symptoms
persuasive function
sizeable target audience
representation of a specific group’s agenda
use of faulty reasoning and/or emotional appeals

13.
ASSERTION

14.
ASSERTION
In assertion, debatable ideas are stated as facts, with
little or no explanation or justification.

15.
BANDWAGON
Five million members and growing!
Thousands of satisfied customers can’t be wrong.

16.
BANDWAGON
The bandwagon technique takes advantage of the
human desire to be a part of the majority group or the
winning team.

17.
CARD STACKING

18.
CARD STACKING
“Card stacking is “the sin of omission”—the
trivialization or exclusion of conflicting viewpoints.”

19.
GLITTERING
GENERALITIES

20.
GLITTERING
GENERALITIES
Without context or specific definitions, glittering
generalities serve only to evoke emotions.

21.
FALSE DILEMMA
If you are not using White Bright Detergent, your
clothes are not clean.
If you support Israel, you cannot possibly be in favor of
a Palestinian State.
You can subscribe to Politics Magazine, or you can
stay uninformed.

22.
ETC.:)
The Lesser of Two Evils
Name-Calling
Pinpointing the Enemy
Plain Folk
Testimonials
Transfer

23.
What next?

24.
Other techniques
List on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Propaganda_techniques

25.
Other sources
Jacques Ellul: Propaganda
http://www.ratical.org/ratville/AoS/Propaganda.pdf
Nicholas J. Cull David Culbert David Welch:
PROPAGANDAAND MASS PERSUASION, A
Historical Encyclopedia, 1500 to the Present
EDWARD L. BERNAYS: PROPAGANDA

26.
Trolling for Trump

27.
Fake news
It's complicated.
https://medium.com/1st-draft/fake-news-its-
complicated-d0f773766c79#.im2e8rucf

28.
Three elements
The different types of content that are being created
and shared
The motivations of those who create this content
The ways this content is being disseminated

29.
Thank you…
@josefslerka