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Propaganda Techniques
A summary of the ways individuals and
organisations attempt to manipulate public
opinion
Based on ideas from Standler (2005) and liberally sprinkled
with pictures pulled of the internet with gay abandon
Name Calling
As this example shows,
both linguistic and visual
techniques can be used
to denigrate an
opponent.
Pejorative Labels
While general insults can be effective, it is
particularly effective to using labels that carry
particular stigma. Examples are “extremist”,
“radical”, “liberal”, “communist”.
Glittering Generality
This refers to a technique where
positive concepts are asserted in
a vague and general way about
the side for which the writer is
trying to gain support. Typical
examples include:
 good, Christian, decent folk,
common Americans
 hero, brave, courageous
 honesty, honour, justice, liberty
Transfer: the symbol
Transfer refers
here to the
attempt to
transfer the
authority or
prestige of one
thing onto
another. The
most common
symbol used in
this way is
perhaps the flag.
Transfer: the victim
Victims can be
effectively used to
transfer natural
human empathy for
the victim to a cause
that (s)he is identified
with.
Transfer: the institution
Certain groups or institutions carry authority.
Associating a scientific or academic group with a
cause can add validity in the eyes of many.
Transfer: the authority
A similar technique is to transfer the prestige of an
individual to a cause. One example of this is how
both atheists and Christians have attempted to
enlist Einstein's support.
Just Plain folks
An attempt to
identify with
common people,
thereby
establishing a
feeling of
solidarity
Cherry Picking
Presenting
information
selectively in order
to omit facts that
are not desirable
Us and Them: Community
Belonging to a community is a powerful human
moral motivator.
Us and Them: the Bandwagon
Encouraging people to side with the majority
preys on our fear of exclusion
Us and Them: The False Dichotomy
More fundamentally, the whole concept of “us and
them” is underlined by the fallacious assumption
of a binary choice.
“Either you
are with us, or
you are with
the terrorists.”
George W. Bush,
20/11/2001
The Fear Factor
Emotive
manipulation is
a mainstay of
propaganda:
appealing to
patriotic pride
and evoking
fear are both
very common
References
Standler, Ronald B. (2005) Propaganda and How to Recognize it.
http://www.rbs0.com/propaganda.pdf