Download How to Write Propaganda

How to Write
Propaganda
Propaganda
• Propaganda is a form of
communication that is aimed
at influencing the attitude of a
community toward some
cause or position so as to
benefit oneself or one's group.
Propaganda Techniques
• Name Calling
– Propagandists use (negative) names to incite
(negative) emotions towards the subject of the
propaganda.
– Kraut, Commie, pig,
– Terrorist, liberal, flip flopper
– Newt’s Name Calling List
Propaganda Techniques
• Glittering Generalities
– Name-calling in reverse. Propagandists
associate positive qualities with things they
want you to support.
– Civilization, good, proper, right, democracy,
freedom
– Newt’s Gliittering Generalities
Propaganda Techniques
• Euphemisms
– A euphemism is a bland, undescriptive phrase
used to hide reality
• Collateral damage
• Liquidation
• Shell shock –> combat fatigue –> operational
exhaustion -> post traumatic stress disorder
Propaganda Techniques
• Transfer
– Transferring thoughts and feelings from
something we believe in and like to something
the propagandists want us to believe in or
like.
– Praying at the end of a speech
– Wearing a lab coat (medical expertise)
Propaganda Techniques
• Testimonial
– Hiring someone famous to promote a product
or ideal.
• Uncle Sam
• Sydney Crosby (Dempster’s Bread)
• Tiger Woods
Propaganda Techniques
• Emotional Appeal
– Most propaganda aims at the audience’s
emotions rather than logic
– Propagandists use images and words that
incite anger, or fear, or pity, or compassion.
– Swine/Avian flu
– Terrorism
Propaganda Techniques
• Lies of Omission
– By leaving out key pieces of information,
propagandists skew the impressions that the
readers/viewers receive.
• Focussing only on Hitler’s military successes and
not on his failures