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Propaganda and Bias
What is propaganda?
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A persuasion technique-It is an
attempt to convince others to do
something or to change a belief on
their own free will.
People are discouraged from
thinking from themselves.
Relies heavily on emotional appeal
Ignores logic and reasoning
Types of Propaganda
1.
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Transfer
A method that builds a connection
between things that are not logically
connected
Ex: A Happy Cow Milk commercial
shows a happy, loving family drinking
Happy Cow Milk.
Goal? The viewer associates
happiness with that particular brand!
Types of Propaganda
2. Bandwagon: Think “everyone else
is doing it”!
Example: “WVIB-all your friends are
listening. Are you”
Does the ad mention WHY the station
is worth listening to?
Types of Propaganda
3. Name-calling: labeling intended to
arouse negative feelings
 Serves a purpose to represent a
person or group as bad without
evidence to support the claim
Ex: A political ad asks you to vote
AGAINST a certain candidate because
that candidate is a “warmonger,”
“tree-hugger,” or a hypocrite.
Types of Propaganda
3. Card-stacking is based on half-truths.
 Half-truths present only PARTIAL
information leaving an inaccurate
impression
Ex: A speaker refers to a person as a “good
breadwinner” though he obtained his wealth
through intimidation and illegal means. The
negative is ignored and only part of the story
is told!
Types of Propaganda
5. Stereotyping is a biased belief
about group of people based on
insufficient or irrelevant evidence.
Example: “Surely you
don’t plan to discuss the
issue with the principal.
Principals are just going
to get you in trouble and
suspend you!”
Types of Propaganda
6. Loaded words: evoke or draw out a very
strong positive or negative attitude toward a
person, group, or idea.
 Creates bias-leans to ONE point of view
 Carries a positive or negative connotation
 Also carries denotation
Example: A product is labeled “all natural”
and “100% pure.” The movie was critics’ “first
choice” and a “favorite” by all.
Types of Propaganda
7. Emotional appeal statements are
used to arouse emotional reactions
 Truths are distorted
 Irrational desires and fears are
provoked
Types of Propaganda
8. Red Herring is a deception in which
an irrelevant topic is used to take
attention away from the original
issue.
Example: “You are only against the
president’s new law because you
don’t understand the issue.” The
person’s intelligence is not part of the
issue.
Types of Propaganda
9. Slippery slope/ad hoc: If “A”
happens, then “B” will happen, and
then “C.”
 Also known as faulty cause and
effect
Identifying and Classifying Ads
1. Which propaganda
technique is featured?
2. What clues indicated the
technique used?
3. What are they trying to
sell?
1. Which propaganda
technique is featured?
2. What clues indicated
the technique used?
3. What are they trying to
sell?
1. Which propaganda
technique is featured?
2. What clues indicated the
technique used?
3. What are they trying to
sell?
1. Which propaganda
technique is featured?
2. What clues indicated the
technique used?
3. What are they trying to
sell?
1. Which propaganda
technique is
featured?
2. What clues indicated
the technique used?
3. What are they trying
to sell?
What do you already know about bias?
What is
bias
anyway?
Favoring one side, position, or
belief – being partial, prejudiced
Bias
Bias …
is prejudice; a preconceived
judgment or an opinion formed
without just grounds or
sufficient knowledge
is subjective-tells only ONE side
of a story
Bias
Can lead to inaccurate
information
Can give a false impression
Comes from:
 Using incomplete information
 Trying to deceive or persuade
readers
 Influence from past experiences
What is biased language and what
is not?
Not biased, just an objective observation
Frank spends very little money.
Biased favorably:
Frank is thrifty.
Biased unfavorably:
Frank is a cheapskate.
Pay attention to word connotation!
Can bias be found in the news?
Consider these two sentences in a
news story:
1. “A crowd of more than 900
attended the protest.”
2. “Fewer than 1,000 showed up to
protest.”
How could you say this in a neutral (unbiased) way?
http://www.bvallc.com/pensionblog/uploaded_images/Crowd-702052.jpg
Bias through word choice
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The words and tone the writer uses
can influence the story. The
author’s bias is reflected in his tone.
Using positive or negative words
can change how we feel about the
news story.
The choice of words and details
convey the tone.
Bias through word choice
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“The politician presented his wellthought out and intelligent plan to
Congress.”
“The politician presented his shoddy
and disorganized plan to Congress.”
Determining bias
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When reading a passage, ask
yourself-”Will the writer benefit if I
believe what is being told to me?”
If it’s yes-it’s bias!
Distinguish fact from opinion!
Practice makes perfect!
With each article, complete the
following:
1. Underline the FACTS the article.
2. Circle the OPINIONS.
3. Reread the opinions. What is the
author’s TONE? Is it positive or
negative?
4. Which words have a positive or
negative connotation?
Practice makes perfect!
With each article, complete the
following:
5. What do we know about the author
of the article?
6. Do you think the writer
intentionally uses bias to persuade?
Explain.
7. How biased is the article? Can the
author be trusted or is the bias too
strong for a clear understanding of
the topic?