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PROPAGANDA: 7 COMMON TECHNIQUES
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What is propaganda?
What are the goals of propaganda?
What are the 7 most common types of propaganda?
How does propaganda affect its audience?
What responsibilities do newspapers have to their readers?
How does recognizing propaganda devices make you a better consumer?
Propaganda defined
• It is the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or
injuring an institution, a cause or a person.
• It is intended to make us accept or approve something without looking closely at
the evidence.
• Most propaganda devices utilize emotion and avoid critical thinking.
7 Common Techniques
• Card Stacking
• Testimonial
• Glittering Generalities
• Transfer
• Plain Folks
• Bandwagon
• Name Calling
1. Card Stacking
• The strategy of showing a product’s best features, telling half-truths, and omitting
or lying about its potential problems.
• Facts are selected to strengthen propagandist’s POV.
• Card stacking, case making, censorship are all forms of Selection. Success or
failure depends on how effective is the “selecting” of facts or “cards” and
“stacking” them.
• Example: Drug manufacturers will often skim over the harmful effects of their
products.
2. Testimonial
• The use of well known, respected people to endorse a product.
• Places the official sanction of a respected person or authority on a product. This
is done in an effort to cause target audience to identify with the authority figure
and to accept his or her values/beliefs as their own.
• Examples: Celebrities; “experts” in a field (e.g. doctor or lawyer).
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Example: Tiger Woods lends his name to Nike.
3. Glittering Generalities
• The act of referring to words or ideas that evoke a positive emotional response.
Virtue words are often used.
• They appeal to such emotions as love of country, home, desire for peace,
freedom, glory, honor.
• Word choices are vague and general, and connotation is always favorable.
• Example: Food products, “more healthy,” when in fact it may be high in calories.
• Virtue Words
• Virtually, More, New
• Low Fat, Better, Pride
• Honor, Peace, Happiness
• Prosperity, Freedom
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Ask yourself:
What does the virtue word really mean?
Does the idea in question have a legitimate connection with the real meaning of
the word?
Is an idea that does not serve my best interests being sold to me by using a
name/word I like?
Leaving the virtue word out, what are the merits of the idea itself?
4. Plain folks • The use of everyday people to sell a product or service. Speakers and ads appear
to make the person to be “one of the people.”
• Designed to win the confidence of the audience by communicating in the common
manner and style of the audience.
• Propagandists use ordinary language and mannerisms (and clothes in face-to-face
communications) in attempting to identify their point-of-view with that of the
average person.
• With the plain folks device, the propagandist can win the confidence of persons
who resent or distrust foreign sounding, intellectual speech, words, or
mannerisms.
Plain folks/Examples
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President Obama eating at McDonald’s
President Reagan chopping wood in a plaid shirt.
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Ask yourself:
What are his ideas worth separated from his personality?
What could he be covering up with the “plain folks” approach?
What are the facts?
5. Bandwagon
• Attempts to persuade the target audience to take a course of action “everyone else
is taking.” “Join the crowd!” This technique reinforces people’s natural desire to
be on the winning side.
• Getting on “the right side” is the idea
• Appeals to the conformist in all of us: No one wants to be left out of what is
perceived to be a popular trend.
Examples
• McDonalds touts that billions have been served.
• WWII posters encouraged others to buy bonds by showing how many other
people had bought one.
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Ask yourself:
What is this propagandist’s program?
What is the evidence for and against the program?
Regardless of the fact that others are supporting this program, should I support it?
Does the program serve or undermine my individual or collective interests?
6. Name Calling
• The use of names that evokes fear or hatred in the viewer.
• The name calling technique links a person, or idea, to a negative symbol.
• The most obvious are: Fascist, Pig, Yuppie Scum, Bum.
7. Transfer
The act of relating something or someone we like or respect with a product. Symbols are
frequently used in this type of propaganda.
Common symbols:
• The flag represents the nation.
• Uncle Sam represents a consensus of public opinion
• A cross represents Christianity
• A Star of David represents the Jewish faith.
• Can be use for or against the transfer of ideas.
Transfer/Ask yourself
• In the most simple and concrete terms, what is the proposal of the speaker?
• Is there any legitimate connection between the proposal of the advertiser and the
revered thing, person, or institution?
• Leaving out the propagandistic trick, what are the merits of the proposal (alone)?
Why is understanding propaganda devices important?
Your deeper understanding of propaganda devices can:
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Save you money
Assist you in making better political decisions.
Help you distinguish between fact and opinion.
Aid you in persuading others.
10.9.14
Propaganda and Triumph of the Will
Pro.pa.gan.da (n): ideas or statements that are often false or exaggerated and are spread in
order to help a cause, a political leader, a cause, etc.
Triumph of the Will: 1935 propaganda film, directed by Leni Riefenstahl. Chronicles
the 1934 Nazi Party Congress at Nuremberg.
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Emotional appeal (e.g. fear): Appealing to the emotions of your audience. For
example, when a propagandist warms members of her audience that disaster will
result if they do not follow a particular course of action, she is using fear appeal.
Glittering generalities: A glittering generality device seeks to make us approve and
accept without examining the evidence; Glittering generalities include phrases such
as “We believe in”,
10.6.14
Visual Rhetoric Unit
Bias
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Bias quiz postponed to Friday, Oct. 10.
Review of media bias
http://www.powershow.com/view/25f41bM2MwM/Detecting_Bias_in_the_News_powerpoint_ppt_presentation
Exploring Bias/Examples
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Saving American Journalism
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/603/
Omissions
http://www.mrc.org/biasalerts/nbc-runs-4-minute-puff-piece-ben-affleck-refusescover-upcoming-midterm-protests-hong-kon
http://www.mrc.org/biasalerts/cbs-and-nbc-skip-obama-saluting-marines-coffeecup-hand
Benghazi vs. Bridgegate
http://weaselzippers.us/169105-benghazi-vs-bridgegate-msm-bias-apparently-atie-up-at-a-bridge-beats-four-dead-in-benghazi/
Forms of bias
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Word choice Omissions The limiting of debate Framing of the story Selection and use of sources. Contributing factors
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There are typically four main influences that cause bias to appear in the media: Geography: What values or beliefs are held in this particular geographical region? Ideology: What body of ideas forms the basis for these beliefs? Institutional affiliations: What organizations or groups are behind the message? Nature of the medium: How do the characteristics of the medium impact the message? While all these influences do not necessarily affect every piece of text, most reporting is affected by at least one or two of these influences.
9.29.14
Visual Rhetoric Unit
Descriptive writing
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Exploring the concept of Bias. What is it? How does it manifest?
Reading Selection: “Balance Bias with Critical Questions.”/ Cornell note-taking.
12:25 Take Pictures
9.26.14
Visual Rhetoric Unit
Descriptive writing
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Expressive writing: Media and the personal narrative.
a. Paul Haggis/”Crash”
b. Miles Davis/”Kind of Blue”
Making Connections/Descriptive writing across media
9.23.14
Visual Rhetoric Unit
Descriptive writing
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Vocabulary Quiz/ “Coming Home To Van Nuys”
When finished/work on Culminating Writing Assignment #1/due Friday, 9/26.
Reference Pg. 56/Graphic Organizer
3 paragraph essay (single spaced). Prompt on pg. 44.
4. Review descriptive paragraphs/visual images
Descriptive Writing
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To help readers understand your subject through the evidence of their senses-sight,
hearing, touch, smell, taste.
4 = outstanding. Highly visual; uses many descriptive and exceptionally precise
language; helps reader create a mental picture of what happened.
3 = Proficient; uses descriptive and precise language most of the time; helps reader
create a mental picture of what happened, but is not as original or creative as 4
above.
2 = Emergent; uses some descriptive and precise language at times, allowing reader
to formulate some visual imagery, but is incomplete, or fails to adequately address
prompt.
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1 = Needs to revise completely. Doesn’t allow reader to visualize or understand the
image/incident sufficiently.
9.18.14
Visual Rhetoric Unit
Reading Selection: Coming Home to Van Nuys
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Review/revise quick-write pg. 36
Reading selection: “Coming Home to Van Nuys”
Culminating writing assignment (#1)
Tuesday, Sept. 23/Quiz/Vocab. Pg. 37
Culminating Writing Assignment/due Friday, 9/26.
5 paragraph essay (single spaced). Prompt on pg. 44
Identify loaded words
Pgs. 42 and 43 (8 paragraphs)/10 points
Review your Quick-write Pg. 36 and revise it (to be collected).
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Using concrete sensory details, describe one place in Los Angeles that you go to eat.
Describe the sights, sounds, and smells of the location as well as how you feel when
you go there.
10 points
9.15.14
Visual Rhetoric Unit
Reading Selection: Coming Home to Van Nuys
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Quick-write/Journal Reflection Pg. 36.
Independent reading: Pg. 36/”First reading to get the Gist.”
Pg. 37/ Self-Asses Vocab/Write down unknown words in your notebooks.
Define them in context, as you read.
After reading/discuss “First Reading Questions” with your neighbor (pg. 36)
Pg. 38/Examining a writer’s language/ Identify “loaded words”/Complete the Tchart in your notebooks, then discuss with your neighbor. Complete the rest of
activities on that page.
Preview unit culminating assignment on pg. 44.
9.10.14
Visual Rhetoric Unit
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Virtual selves Introduction
Pg. 116 Complete the “Getting Reading to Read” activity.
Process
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Read the “Rhetorical Precis”
Based on photo essay assignment & rubric, how might you use this template to
write your photo essay?
Flash Draft: With your group, write compose a rhetorical precis for “Searching for
the Afghan Girl.”
Viewing
Girl Speaks at the U.N.
Explain the Rhetorical Situation
of the video clip: Girl Speaks at the U.N.
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Writer
Purpose
Audience
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Topic/Message
Context
Culture
8. 25.14
Visual Rhetoric Unit
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SSR: Silent Reading/Textbook: “Going Up in L.A.” Pgs. 21-35
Whole class debrief/ (journal writing response):
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What makes Los Angeles unique?
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Describe your favorite public place in Los Angeles.
H.W. response Pg. 12/Pair Share/Compare & Contrast both images.
Textbook: “Los Angeles: The Unread City”/Read excerpt pg. 31/ What makes this
excerpt good narrative writing?
Sunset Crash
Downtown Interchange
What makes good narrative writing?
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Descriptive writing
Real dialogue
Figurative language
Personification
Clear, linear sequence of events
Repetition
Understandable setting
Realistic characters
Journal Response
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Pg. 18
Why did Martinez write this piece?
Think about the elements of the Rhetorical Situation and explain how the
components relate to this text.
Writer, Purpose, Audience, Message, Context, Culture
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What rhetorical devices does it appeal to (logos, ethos, pathos)?
8. 21.14
Visual Rhetoric Unit
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Textbook: “Los Angeles: The Unread City”
Quick-write/Choose a topic (journal writing):
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What makes Los Angeles unique?
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Describe your favorite public place in Los Angeles.
Textbook: “Los Angeles: The Unread City”
Vocab/Concepts
“Going up in LA”
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Pg. 16/17 textbook/Create a word bank of unknown words.
Read the word in context; try to guess its meaning; use dictionary if needed.
Los Angeles: The Unread City
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Text 1: View North from I-105 (Photo)/John Humble
Text 2: “Sunset Crash” (painting)/Carlos Almaraz
Text 3: “Downtown Interchange” (painting)/Frank Romero
Text 4: “Going Up in LA” (News article)/Ruben Martinez
Text 5: “Coming Home to Van Nuys” (Reading selection)/Sandra Tsing
Text 6: “Crash (screenplay)/Paul Haggis
Text 7: “Los Angeles Notebook” (Part 3) (excerpt)/Joan Didion
What Is Rhetoric?
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Our textbook defines rhetoric as “the faculty of observing in any given case the
available means of persuasion.” (Aristotle, 384-322 BCE)
“The study and the art of using language effectively.” Rhetoric encompasses the art
of analyzing the language choices authors and speakers (rhetors) use to create
meaningful and persuasive texts, texts worth seeing, reading, hearing, writing.
Furthermore, rhetoric encompasses using those techniques to create meaningful
texts. Simply stated, rhetoric makes persuasion possible.
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Often stated as simply, “the art of communication.”
The Rhetorical Transaction
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The Rhetorical Transaction: According to Aristotle, the rhetorical transaction
consists of three basic components: logos - representing the author's ability to reveal
logic and reason in the text; ethos - representing the author's ability to reveal his or
her credibility in the text, and pathos - representing the author's ability to appeal to
the audience through the text. These components are suggested by the rhetorical
triangle or Aristotelian triad:
Aristotelian Triangle
Interpret
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On the most basic level, what is your first impression?
To which of the three components of rhetoric does it appeal (logos, ethos,
pathos)? Explain.
Think of a question that challenges your group members position. Debate the
issue
Makes sense?
Media Literacy
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Media literacy is the ability to “read,” analyze, evaluate, and interpret media
messages in a variety of forms.
Key vocabulary:
Media (the plural of medium): form of communication that carries information,
entertainment, and advertisements to a mass audience via television; newspapers,
magazines, radio, the Internet, etc.
What Is Rhetoric?
Video Clip
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3IbscJWklI
NY Times Qs
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What differences do you notice between the photographs we just looked at together
and those we’ve taken ourselves? What is the difference between personal
photography and photojournalism? What do professional photographers tend to pay
attention to that amateurs do not? What makes a photo good? What makes a photo
great? At this point, look back at the iconic photos you looked at during the
beginning of class and list the qualities that students suggest make them great and list
them on the board.
Assignment types/points
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Essays varied length/points
Short constructed responses/some timed
Weekly vocab quizzes
Journal writing/Checked 2x grading period
Classwork collected/points
Homework/collected/points
Cooperation/points (1 point)
Textbook/Materials (1 point)