PROPAGANDA ANALYSIS

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PROPAGANDA ANALYSIS

• A 10-step plan of propaganda analysis

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The warfare metaphor

• The destruction of the enemys will to resist,
  and with a minimum annihilation of fighting
  capacity
• (H. Lasswell, 1951)

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Step 1 The Ideology and Purpose of the
Propaganda Campaign

• Ideology A value system or belief system
  accepted as fact or truth by some group.
• It is composed of sets of attitudes toward the
  various institutions and processes of society.
• An ideology provides the believer with a picture
  of the world both as it is and as it should be.
• It organizes the complexity of the world into
  something fairly simple and understandable

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Political ideologies
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The Purpose of the Propaganda Campaign is

• to achieve acceptance of propagandists ideology
  by the people
• to establish a set of values that provides the
  basis for determining what is good, bad, right or
  wrong

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Propaganda may incorporate such elements of
ideology as references to

• preexisting struggles and past situations
• current frames of reference and value systems
• future goals and objectives

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Step 2 The Context in Which Propaganda Occurs

• Considerations of historical background, existing
  beliefs and values, prevailing social myths,
  prevailing public mood, etc.

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The use of myth

• A story or event that illuminates the key values
  of some society or association the original
  events can be real, but they serve unreal
  imaginary beliefs (e.g., that of national
  superiority)

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National glory and national suffering

• Suffering of American Colonists in the late
  1700s.
• Glorious victory against the British
• September 11, 2001
• D-Day, Pearl Harbor, Remember Alamo!

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Reshaping myths / images

• Japan from militaristic aggressor in the 1930s
  and 1940s to a victim of the atomic bomb
• East Germany from former center of Nazism to an
  anti-fascist peace loving

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Prejudice / Hate

• The cult of hatred and xenophobia is the cheapest
  and surest method to persuade masses.

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The use of myth national stereotypes

• Backward Poor, Lazy, Ignorant, Indolent,
  Submissive, Inefficient (but Proud, Polite,
  Traditional, Easygoing)
• Advanced Enterprising, Ambitious, Industrious,
  Intelligent, Progressive, Efficient, Successful
  (but Ruthless, Aggressive, Money-hungry, Cunning)

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Step 3 Identification of thePropagandist

• Usually an institution or organization
• It could be open or concealed

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The International Council for Democratic
Institutions

• http//www.icdiss.org/
• The Case for Independence of Transdniestria

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America Supports You (Pentagon)http//www.americ
asupportsyou.mil/americasupportsyou/index.aspx

• First year cost to private PR firm about
  3,000,000
• Students at an Oklahoma schools collected 600
  for ASY

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Step 4 Structure of Propagandist

• Usually strong, centralized, decision-making
  authorities produce consistent messages
  throughout their structure.
• Leadership influential in setting general tone
  and approach.
• Structure produces long term goals and short term
  objectives.

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Propaganda organization

• What is the internal culture of the organization?
• What is its ideology?
• Who are the members of the organization and how
  do they get to be members?
• To whom does the organization release information
  about itself?

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Source Credibility

• What is the audiences perceived image of the
  source? How does the propagandist establish
  identification with the audience?
• How does the propagandist work through those who
  have credibility in a community? (opinion
  leaders).
• How does the propagandist provide opportunities
  for face-to-face contact?

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Step 5 Target Audience

• The propaganda message is aimed at the audience
  most likely to be useful to the propagandist if
  it responds favorably.
• How is the target audience identified and reached?

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Step 6 Media Utilization Techniques

• Which media? One dominant or a combination of
  many?
• Flow of communication from one medium to
  another from media to groups and individuals.
• Are there competing media? (opportunity for
  counterpropaganda)
• How is the message presented?
• Effectiveness? (how do we know this?)

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Step 7 Types of Techniques

• Predispositions of the Audience (Resonance)
• Source Credibility
• Reward and Punishment
• Fear, Intimidation
• Arousal of Emotions
• Visual Symbols
• Language
• Music

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Predispositions of the Audience Creating
Resonance

• Messages that are supportive of, rather than
  discrepant from, commonly held views of the
  people are more likely to be effective.
• The propagandist links audiences beliefs with the
  propagandistic ideology.
• The propagandist uses knowledge of audiences
  norms and values

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Reward and Punishment

• For example, uses of aid to secure compliance
  with foreign policy.

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Weapons of intimidation

• For example
• Aztecs terror of religious blood sacrifice and
  cannibalism (some orgies lasted days and killed
  thousands victims)
• They sharply lowered Aztecs enemies will to
  resist

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Weapons of intimidation

• Hernando Cortes use of horses against Aztecs.
• The Aztecs thought the Spaniards on their horses
  at first a single, two-headed giant animals.

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Weapons of intimidation

• Terror of rape when the Red Army entered German
  territory in 1945 (officially prohibited)
• Terror of rape in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the early
  1990s

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Weapons of intimidation

• Portsmouth Peace Treat 1905 between Russia and
  Japan
• Organized by Roosevelt in Portsmouth to show the
  might of the U.S. Navy

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Arousal of Emotions

• Language Usage
• Music as Propaganda
• Visuals Symbols

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Language Used

• Propaganda uses language that tends to deify a
  cause and satanize opponents. Exaggeration is
  often associated with propaganda.

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The Use of Language

• The way an object is described directs our
  thoughts and channel our cognitive responses
  (positive or negative)
• Example of Name Calling The condemning of an
  idea on its face by giving it a bad label
  regardless of the evidence.
•  

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The Use of Language

• voodoo-economics Bush Sr.
• Death tax (inheritance tax)
• Boston Massacre March 5, 1770
• Red Menace and the Jewish Problem
• A kindlier, gentler America (Bush Sr.)
• Honorable peace (Nixon)
• The Man from Hope (Clinton)

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The Use of Language

• The War or the Defense Department
• Collateral damage
• The war against drugs, terrorism
• The war on poverty
• Big business, Big oil, Tax on the Rich
• 75 lean or 25 fat?
• New and Improved

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Language Self-fulfilling prophecy

• The tendency for a definition of a situation to
  evoke behavior that makes that definition come
  true

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Asymmetrical definition

• The deliberate use of audience-familiar words
  that evoke shared meanings but are not shared by
  the source of the message for the purpose of
  deception.
• Peace used by the Nazis. Hitler always
  portrayed himself as peace-loving
• Democracy used by the communists.

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Hitlers speech 1941

• What offers did I make them! How I begged them to
  be reasonable! I begged them to see reason. My
  speeches were all governed by the one idea it
  must be possible to find a method for a peaceful
  solution. What we are doing is making a
  sacrifice in the interest of peace. We make this
  sacrifice, but we, at least, want to have peace
  in exchange for it.

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Hitlers speech 1941

• I held out my hand, again and again. We have not
  asked them for anything, not demanded anything,
  again and again I offered my hand for
  negotiations. It was in vain. I held out my hand
  to England. I was received with derision. They
  practically spat at me. They were indignant.

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Hitlers speech 1941

• We are involved in a war which we did not want.
  Otherwise one could not stretch out one's hand to
  the other side. However, if those financial
  hyenas want war, if they want to exterminate
  Germany, they will get the surprise of their
  lives.

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Hitlers speech 1941

• The year which lies behind us has been a year of
  great successes, but also, it is true, one of
  many sacrifices. Our whole sympathy, our love and
  care belongs to those who had to make these
  sacrifices. That the Lord should not abandon us
  in this struggle of the coming yearLet that be
  our prayer.

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Hitlers speech

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?ve9fEM-MfSiUfeature
  related

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Hitlers messianic rhetoric

• Lord, you see, we have changed.
• The German people is no longer the people without
  honour, of disgrace, tearing itself apart,
  faint-hearted, and weak in faith.
• No, Lord, the German people is strong again in
  its will

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Hitlers messianic rhetoric

• How can we not once again feel in this hour the
  miracle which has brought us together.
• You have once heard the voice of a man, and it
  has struck your hearts, it has awakened you, and
  you have followed this voice...
• Now we are together, we are with him and he is
  with us, and we are now Germany.

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Goebbels on Hitler

• Hitlers election is a religion in the deepest
  and most mysterious sense of the word
• in which a nation professed its belief in God,
• through its spokesman and put its fate and life
  trustingly in his hands

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Music as Propaganda

• Music combines sound and language and is repeated
  until it becomes familiar. It touches the
  emotions easily, suggestions associations and
  past experiences, invites us to sing along and
  embraces ideology in the lyrics.

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Power of Sound and Music

• National Anthems
• Patriotic Songs
• Religious
• Sales
• Military
• Police

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National anthems Casablanca - French National
Anthemhttp//www.youtube.com/watch?vHM-E2H1ChJM

• Arise children of the fatherland The day of
  glory has arrived Against us tyranny's Bloody
  standard is raisedCan you hear in the fields
  The howling of these fearsome soldiers? They
  are coming into our midst To cut the throats of
  your sons and consorts!
• To arms, citizens, Form in battalions, March,
  march! Let impure blood Water our furrows!

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National anthems Japan

• May your Imperial reignContinue for a thousand
  years,And last for eight thousand
  generations,Until pebblesTurn into
  bouldersCovered in moss.

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European Union Ode to Joy (Beethovens 9th)

• Joy, your magic reunites
• What custom strictly parts
• All people become brothers,
• Where your gentle wing alights.
• Be embraced, you millions!
• All creatures drink joy
• Ode to Joy / Street Mob

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Visual Symbols

• Symbols of power, nationalism, patriotism, unity,
  etc.
• For example
• flags, monuments, historical figures, battle
  scenes,
• the use of colors

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Dada panorama by Hannah Hoch (1919, Germany)
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Pablo Picasso Guernica (1937)
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Posters

• Chairman Mao is the Red Sun in Our Heart (China
  1969)

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Soviet art, 1940s
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Visual Symbols

• The 1968 Olympics Black Power salute Tommie Smith
  and John Carlos (200m runners)

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Manipulation

• V.I.Lenin 5/5/1920
• The original picture (right) with Trotsky

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Manipulation

• O.J. Simpson 1994

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Manipulation

• Sept. 2006 Beirut.
• Photographer Adnan Hajj from Reuters

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Maya Lins Vietnam memorial
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Murals

• Diego Rivera historical murals

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Buildings

• Acropolis

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Hitlers Chancellery
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Chancellery
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Step 8 Audience Reaction

• Indicated/measured by opinion polls, public
  behavior, voting, media reports, etc.
• Other evidence might include rate of recruitment
  to the propaganda organization, contributions,
  audience adoption of slogans, language, attire,
  etc.

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Step 9 Counterpropaganda

• This may be above ground or below ground.
• Direct counter-propaganda
• In metaphorical forms in literature and theatre.

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Step 10 Effects

• Effects and Evaluation
• Has the propagandist achieved his goals?