The Most Successful Propaganda Techniques [aka Mainstream Media's Style Guide]

Strategy Page ^ | Nov 29, 2005

[ForGod'sSake]

If I read this, will a get an honorary journalism degree?

Heh.

[Tunehead54]

Good Post - you're well on your way to a small book - you just need more real-life examples citing the date and source. Keep up the good work!

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:-)

[Gondring]

ping

[Tunehead54]

Here's one for you - I'll let you categorize it - you're the expert! ;-)

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NEW HOME SALES SURGE IN OCTOBER

[FreedomPoster]

Bump for later reading.

[FreedomPoster]

I'll take the nickel, please.

[WhiteGuy]

Note to self for later comment -

Most of these techniques are utilized by the bots on this very website!

[John Jorsett]

This was posted by starbase on 11-27-05

Interesting. The StrategyPage version is completely unattributed, so I assumed it originated there. They should have furnished a link to the FR posting, if that's where they got it.

[jigsaw]

I'll take the nickel, please.

You're obviously a good bargain hunter! LOL!

[FreedomPoster]

It was more of a rhetorical "taking". I knew it was worth more than the Journalism degree. ;-)

[Landru]

Goebbels' techniques were due some badly needed updating, my friend.

This wonderful work serves that purpose quite nicely.

...indeed. ;^)

[starbase]

[This was posted by starbase on 11-27-05

Interesting. The StrategyPage version is completely unattributed, so I assumed it originated there. They should have furnished a link to the FR posting, if that's where they got it.]

Actually I submitted it to them, but I asked them not to use my real name because I had already posted it here and like my anonymity! Not that you'd recognize my name, but it's fun being one of the crowd. I thought asking them to attribute it to "starbase" would be a little weird, so I didn't ask.
I'm just happy they printed it because they have a readership of 250,000+, which is cool. As many people that can see and think about this list is my goal, I don't care about credit. (see my tag line, I'm to going push this list for the next six months or so till I'm sure everyone has at least heard about it, if they're interested.)

Caver! Thanks for the props!

[starbase]

[you just need more real-life examples citing the date and source.]

Actually, examples abound. This one, from the Toronto Star,

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Render&c=Article&cid=1133218897841&call_pageid=968332188492

is a classic example of #15 Fogging an Issue. It starts with a catchy title, "Liberals Lose-Vote Looms", knowing that conservatives will rush to read the article, then it begins a long strange story about celebrations in the house as the Liberal's government COLLAPSES! It only talks about everyone celebrating, as if no one lost anything, which of course is meant to fog over the loss of the Liberals. That would help prevent confidence and opportunism on the part of their enemies (the conservatives). When I got to the line about the Prime Minister laughing out and wishing everyone a merry election ("“Let’s get started here,” a smiling Martin shouted to his MPs amid loud cheers at a caucus meeting. “Time’s awastin”’"), I knew this was Fogging an Issue, HE HAS JUST LOST POWER (for being too corrupt, among other things), NO ONE WOULD CHEER AT THAT!

It's funny, because I defined that technique 5 years ago, but if you look at #15 Fogging an Issue, you will see it follows the description precisely. Catchy title, nonsensical article. The media templates are definitely getting a little stale these days!

Another example is an article here on FR concerning Tom Tancredo.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1526916/posts
(you can see my post #183 on that thread)

I'm not commenting on his candidacy one way or the other, but this article uses #17 Preemptive Strike against him. With 82% of the population supporting immigration law enforcement, Tancredo CAN win. But this article starts by saying he CAN'T win at least three times right off the bat, it also states that he doesn't even expect to win, although that does not appear in a quote from Tancredo anywhere in the story. At the end of the article there is a paragraph instructing the GOP on how to defeat Tancredo. A strange bit of information in an unbiased "news" article, isn't it? The attack on his candidacy at the beginning and the directions on how to defeat him at the end are a classic example of #17 Preemptive Strike.
(My example of Preemptive Strike in the list bears an uncanny resemblance to this article, doesn't it? Shhhhh, don't tell!!)

[Tench_Coxe]

bookmarked

[Tunehead54]

So many examples of these techniques abound that I stopped my 'scrip to the St. Pete Times ("cream" of the crop from the Poynter Institute land jobs there) Why would I want to be seething with rage at 6:30 am?

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I do think that these many devices could be distilled down to 10 max - ideally 5 so as to allow easy identification and ridicule - reducing their efforts to inconsequential babbling.

Where does quoting lib whackos as authoritive ("People for the Ameican Way" and then allowing them to denigrate conservatives as "right wing demagogues/idealogues" fit in?

Get to work John! ;-)

[starbase]

Everyone, regarding my post #53 where I analyze two articles, I had thought of creating a "Propaganda Ping List", where I routinely apply the techniques with examples in just this way. However it's quite time consuming, just these two took me over an hour (what with double checking, sourcing, etc.)

However, if there is enough interest, then I will make the time to do a once-a-month ping list with any examples of propaganda I might have seen analyzed for readers' convenience.

If anyone is interested in being on a monthly Propaganda Ping List please freepmail me and if there are enough people I can start one next month. Cheers, starbase

[starbase]

[Get to work John!] Actually, Tunehead54, I don't mean to harp on it, but it was I who developed and published these techniques. You can see my original vanity posting here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1529223/posts

I believe John posted my article from StrategyPage.com, who was kind enough to publish my modest list anonymously as I requested, I have email confirmation from the publisher of StrategyPage.com graciously informing me that he intended to publish my submission.

[Tunehead54]

Ah so! The author was listed as JJ, the poster was JJ so I just assumed ... BTW your post is formatted much better!

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OK SB - get to work! Distill it! ;-)

[starbase]

[Ah so! The author was listed as JJ, the poster was JJ so I just assumed ... BTW your post is formatted much better! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OK SB - get to work! Distill it! ;-)]

Thanks for the formatting compliment. Another poster said this thread's format was easier to read!!! I was crushed, I spent like 9 hours combing over that damn thing. As far as distilling it, I'll try to think about it, but I don't think I know how to do it. I got it down to as few points as I thought possible, but if you start having compound labels for the techniques, then it becomes increasingly complicated to convey the actual trick being used to a reading audience.

Remember, if these tricks the writers use were obvious, then they wouldn't work. That means unraveling them necessitates a certain degree of complexity.

I tried to spread that complexity out across a minimum of number of fundamental techniques, then to refer sharply to them on a case-by-case basis until a familiarity with the whole group built up in the reader.

To have just five would be better, of course, but I don't know how to say in just five examples "There, see what the writer's doing this time?".

But I'll ponder your suggestion, and please be sure to share any ideas of your own on how to distill them further.

[Tunehead54]

First off - don't be crushed. I recall posting a "fill-in-the-blank" constitution (based on ours) - hoping to come up with an improved constitution that emerging nations (such as Afghanistan and Iraq) could use as a model (lots of time expended). Maybe 12 posts - where some post asking if Hillary has fat ankles goes into the thousands. Go figure. ;-)

Secondly - no promises - but I'll print out your post and see what might be condensed. I do understand what you're saying - if it was too obvious it would be just that. They have to hide it - subliminally and that requires numerous techniques. Just so you know - my main thought is "the simpler, the better, the most easily conveyed, the better, the most easily remembered, the better, etc.".

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Since we're fighting the guys who buy ink by the barrel we've got to make the shots clear, concise and obvious to all. :-)