Presenter
Presenter
You need to know who is presenting the propaganda item. If it is white
propaganda the source will be obvious. If it is gray propaganda you may
have a problem figuring out who is behind it. If it is black propaganda
you might not recognize it as propaganda and so can't analyze it.
Disguising the Presenter
- Astroturf: "Astroturf lobbying" is a term attributed to Senator
Lloyd Bentsen (TX). It refers to "grass roots" movements which are actually
created and funded by corporate interests. This technique of lobbying can
be very effective but is also very expensive. It lelies on the appearance
of being a "popular" movement while it is in fact being funded by some entity
with an interest in the situation.
See Sharon Beder's paper
in Public Relations Quarterly, Summer 98. Also see the Front Groups entry.
- Front Groups: These are organizations that purport to represent one
agenda while in reality being funded by someone with different ideas.
The name of the front group is often Americans for _______. Fill in the blank.
The same goes for Citizens for ________, The Committee for _________, etc.
It is usually interesting to find out who is bankrolling the group.
- Push Poll: This is far less a poll than a propaganda technique.
It will use a "question" which actually implies something unfavorable about
the subject of the question. A push poll question is often used to spread
misinformation about someone or something. Suppose a pollster asked you
"Would you be inclined to vote for Senator Fiddle if you knew he had a
drinking problem?" Your answer to the question is not important; your
ultimate reaction to the drinking problem allegation is.
- Video News Releases: This relatively recent trick involves preparing
a message (often an ad) in a video sequence which looks exactly like a news item.
TV outlets will often pick these up and use them in news programs because it
saves production cost. The video piece can be loaded with all kinds of
propaganda tricks and its origin may not be obvious.
References