Posted on 06/06/2022 2:06:36 PM PDT by Widget Jr
Since its 2008 incursion into Georgia (if not before), there has been a remarkable evolution in Russia's approach to propaganda. This new approach was on full display during the country's 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula. It continues to be demonstrated in support of ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Syria and in pursuit of nefarious and long-term goals in Russia's “near abroad” and against NATO allies.
In some ways, the current Russian approach to propaganda builds on Soviet Cold War–era techniques, with an emphasis on obfuscation and on getting targets to act in the interests of the propagandist without realizing that they have done so. In other ways, it is completely new and driven by the characteristics of the contemporary information environment. Russia has taken advantage of technology and available media in ways that would have been inconceivable during the Cold War. Its tools and channels now include the Internet, social media, and the evolving landscape of professional and amateur journalism and media outlets.
Distinctive Features of the Contemporary Model for Russian Propaganda
We characterize the contemporary Russian model for propaganda as “the firehose of falsehood” because of two of its distinctive features: high numbers of channels and messages and a shameless willingness to disseminate partial truths or outright fictions. In the words of one observer, “[N]ew Russian propaganda entertains, confuses and overwhelms the audience.”
Contemporary Russian propaganda has at least two other distinctive features. It is also rapid, continuous, and repetitive, and it lacks commitment to consistency.
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Russian Propaganda Is High-Volume and Multichannel
Russian propaganda is produced in incredibly large volumes and is broadcast or otherwise distributed via a large number of channels. This propaganda includes text, video, audio, and still imagery propagated via the Internet, social media, satellite television, and traditional radio and television broadcasting. The producers and disseminators include a substantial force of paid Internet “trolls” who also often attack or undermine views or information that runs counter to Russian themes, doing so through online chat rooms, discussion forums, and comments sections on news and other websites.4 Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports that “there are thousands of fake accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LiveJournal, and vKontakte” maintained by Russian propagandists. According to a former paid Russian Internet troll, the trolls are on duty 24 hours a day, in 12-hour shifts, and each has a daily quota of 135 posted comments of at least 200 characters.
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Russian Propaganda Is Rapid, Continuous, and Repetitive
Contemporary Russian propaganda is continuous and very responsive to events. Due to their lack of commitment to objective reality (discussed later), Russian propagandists do not need to wait to check facts or verify claims; they just disseminate an interpretation of emergent events that appears to best favor their themes and objectives. This allows them to be remarkably responsive and nimble, often broadcasting the first “news” of events (and, with similar frequency, the first news of nonevents, or things that have not actually happened). They will also repeat and recycle disinformation. The January 14, 2016, edition of Weekly Disinformation Review reported the reemergence of several previously debunked Russian propaganda stories, including that Polish President Andrzej Duda was insisting that Ukraine return former Polish territory, that Islamic State fighters were joining pro-Ukrainian forces, and that there was a Western-backed coup in Kiev, Ukraine’s capital.
Sometimes, Russian propaganda is picked up and rebroadcast by legitimate news outlets; more frequently, social media repeats the themes, messages, or falsehoods introduced by one of Russia’s many dissemination channels.
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Russian Propaganda Makes No Commitment to Objective Reality
It may come as little surprise that the psychology literature supports the persuasive potential of high-volume, diverse channels and sources, along with rapidity and repetition. These aspects of Russian propaganda make intuitive sense. One would expect any influence effort to enjoy greater success if it is backed by a willingness to invest in additional volume and channels and if its architects find ways to increase the frequency and responsiveness of messages. This next characteristic, however, flies in the face of intuition and conventional wisdom, which can be paraphrased as “The truth always wins.”
Contemporary Russian propaganda makes little or no commitment to the truth. This is not to say that all of it is false. Quite the contrary: It often contains a significant fraction of the truth.
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Russian Propaganda Is Not Committed to Consistency
The final distinctive characteristic of Russian propaganda is that it is not committed to consistency. First, different propaganda media do not necessarily broadcast the exact same themes or messages. Second, different channels do not necessarily broadcast the same account of contested events. Third, different channels or representatives show no fear of “changing their tune.” If one falsehood or misrepresentation is exposed or is not well received, the propagandists will discard it and move on to a new (though not necessarily more plausible) explanation. One example of such behavior is the string of accounts offered for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. Russian sources have offered numerous theories about how the aircraft came to be shot down and by whom, very few of which are plausible.27 Lack of commitment to consistency is also apparent in statements from Russian President Vladimir Putin. For example, he first denied that the “little green men” in Crimea were Russian soldiers but later admitted that they were. Similarly, he at first denied any desire to see Crimea join Russia, but then he admitted that that had been his plan all along.
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What Can Be Done to Counter the Firehose of Falsehood?
Experimental research in psychology suggests that the features of the contemporary Russian propaganda model have the potential to be highly effective. Even those features that run counter to conventional wisdom on effective influence (e.g., the importance of veracity and consistency) receive some support in the literature.
If the Russian approach to propaganda is effective, then what can be done about it? We conclude with a few thoughts about how NATO, the United States, or other opponents of the firehose of falsehood might better compete. The first step is to recognize that this is a nontrivial challenge....
We are not optimistic about the effectiveness of traditional counterpropaganda efforts...
Forewarning is perhaps more effective than retractions or refutation of propaganda that has already been received. The research suggests two possible avenues:
In practice, getting in front of misinformation and raising awareness of misinformation might involve more robust and more widely publicized efforts to “out” Russian propaganda sources and the nature of their efforts.
Start with The Spanish-American War and work forward. This has been going on a long time. Today, with electronic media, it is more pervasive than ever.
As far as who does the most propaganda. Well I have never seen a news story in the US, of which I personally knew details, that was anything even resembling the truth. Basically everything you see is a lie or presented in order to create and influence opinion for some actor. Everything.
This research was conducted in the International Security and Defense Policy Center of the RAND National Defense Research Institute.
Document Details:
Copyright: RAND Corporation
Availability: Web-Only
Pages: 16
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/PE198
Document Number: PE-198-OSD
Year: 2016
Series: Perspectives
Scholarly article {length but fascinating!}
https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PE198.html
Plenty of Russian propaganda right here on this site.
Actually, it sounds like a good description of how America’s Ruling Class’s information warfare proceeds:
* Multiple Channels - Yes (tv, radio, social media, government information, NGO propaganda, etc)
* Repetitive and continuous propaganda - Yes 24-7-365 for masks, vaccines, war in Ukraine, Jan 6, Russia hoax and really, anything else the ruling class wants to shove down our throats.
* No relation to objective reality - duh - Hunter’s laptop was russian propaganda and Trump colluded with the Russians.
* It’s OK to change your story in the blink of an eye. There’s no such thing as CRT. Well, ok, CRT is not taught in the schools. It is? Well, CRT isn’t bad or racist. etc etc etc on any issue.
Bluntly, Russian propaganda is easier to see and ignore because it is so obvious and heavy handed. American propaganda is much better designed and delivered. You want proof? It has most Americans believing they live in a country where the rulers require the consent of the governed.
Ukraine is America’s next Vietnam. Totally avoidable war.
“Lacks commitment to objective reality
Lacks commitment to consistency.”
Just LOL. RAND obviously has no shame.
A number of posters on this very board hit several of these checkboxes, don’t they?
Your post is not responsive to the material presented.
Erk.
But thanks for coming along and substantiating what was posted.
спаси́бо!
How many times are you going to trot out the ‘threat of nuclear war’? It’s tiresome and unless Russia wants to commit suicide it’s not going to happen.
The Russian media >> IS << always worse. Even the Russians joke about it:
“In Izvestia there is no Pravda and in Pravda there is no Izvestia”
(’Pravda’ means truth. ‘Izvestia’ means news.)
Your pointless insult actually reinforces the former point:
“Lacks commitment to objective reality”
“Ukraine is America’s next Vietnam. Totally avoidable war.”
The USA is not trying to invade Ukraine. Russia is. And the bodies of soldiers being abandoned in Ukraine are Russian, not American.
Sure, everything not towing the approved line is a Russian propaganda. Even if it calls spade a spade.
The U.S. news media stinks. The Russian news media stinks worse. In the U.S. the truth still gets out and people can talk about it. In Russia the State Run news media is a caricature and speaking out against the invasion is a crime in Russia.
Again, you’re going off topic and proving the point of the article.
How about you actually address the points of the article instead of trying to change the subject?
I actually did. The point of the article is to criminalize whatever deviates from the approved narrative. In short, to silence the truth. Remember, Hunter’s laptop was a Russian propaganda, until it was not.
“It’s. Amazing how many apologists for Russian propaganda we have here at. FR.”
It’s. Amazing how many apologists for Ukrainian/Biden/GloboHomo/Soros propaganda we have here at FR.
Add to this the nonsense that invader Putin is justified trying to take over Ukraine due to NATO, when in reality it is his invasions, threats, and boasting that serves to justify NATO. However, the reality that the Western Left supports Ukraine since it cannot sign Putin as a team player (even Communism does not go far enough, and is seen as competition for world dominion) serves to help Putin obtain support. But both the Left and Putin are anti-Christ.
“ Add to this the nonsense that invader Putin is justified trying to take over Ukraine due to NATO, when in reality it is his invasions, threats, and boasting that serves to justify NATO.”
Putin is much like an abusive spouse. He makes threats, acts out violently, and when confronted says “you made me do that!”
For over 75 years Russia held half of Europe in abject slavery to a hideous political system that imprisoned and murdered opponents wholesale, not to mention threatening the West with nuclear annihilation.
When those countries finally shook off their yoke and decided it wouldn’t happen to them again Putin called it a tragedy. Since then he’s invaded 2 sovereign countries in illegal wars of conquest.
Not to mention the fact that his merry band of gangsters has been raping the Russian people to enrich themselves beyond their wildest dreams for decades.
The above in NO way constitutes an endorsement of the Ukrainian government. Their corruption differs only in scale. Nor does it mean I approve of handing tens of billions of taxpayer dollars over to them. I don’t. If the Ukrainians want our weapons they can pay cash for them.
But If Russia wants the war to stop all they have to do is go home.
That’s it. Pack up their **** and leave.
But for some reason a whole bunch of, I thought anyway, freedom loving Freepers have cast their lot with the Russians because there may or may not have been a few hundred or even a few thousand neo-Nazi goofballs running around.
I don’t believe a word that’s coming out of anyone about this entire disgusting affair. And that includes our government. It’s all lies.
L
Try again. Nothing in the article deigns to criminalize speech. However, it does point out recurring patterns in the postings of Russian trolls.
I’ve noted the same things myself:
When you weigh in on a post with an opinion or facts that counter the troll’s designated narrative their two most favored tactics to distract you are these:
1. On off topic response typically coupled with confrontational questions whose intent is to get you arguing about anything other than the topic on hand.
2. The irrational insults. As we see above the trolls like to use unprovoked insults to get you off topic. Sometimes the insult is little more than drive-by provocation, sometimes it’s an insult designed just for you especially if the troll reads your home page and finds a soft spot they can poke at.
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