PROPAGANDA TECHNIQUES TO RECOGNIZE:

Propaganda: Media that tries to get the viewer to think a certain way or believe a
certain thing. Often uses incorrect or misleading information to affect opinion.

1. NAME CALLING or STEREOTYPING:  Giving a person or an idea a bad

label by using an easy to remember pejorative name.  This is used to make us
reject and condemn a person or idea without examining what the label really
means.  Examples: "Republican", "Tree-Hugger", "Nazi", "Environmentalist",
"Special-Interest Group".

2. VIRTUE WORDS or GLITTERING GENERALITY: These words are used

to dupe us into accepting and approving of things without examining the
evidence carefully.  Examples: "Natural", "Democratic", "Organic", "Scientific",
"Ecological", "Sustainable".

3. DEIFICATION:  This is when an idea is made to appear holy, sacred, or

very special and therefore above all law.  Any alternative or opposite points of
view are thereby given the appearance of treason or blasphemy.  Examples:
"God-given right to...", "Mother Earth", "Gia".

4.  TRANSFER:  Transfer is when a symbol that carries respect, authority,

sanction, and prestige is used along with and idea or argument to make it look
more acceptable.  Examples: American Flag, University Seal, Medical
Association Symbol (or something that looks like it).  This method is also
called GUILT- or VIRTUE-BY-ASSOCIATION.

5.  TESTIMONIAL:  When some respected celebrity (or alternatively someone

generally hated) claims that an idea or product is good (or bad).  This
technique is used to convince us without examining the facts more carefully.

6.  PLAIN FOLKS:  This is a way that a speaker convinces an audience that

an idea is good because they are the same ideas of the vast majority of
people like yourself.  Examples: "This is the will of the People", "Most
Americans...".  Another example would be when the speaker tells a story
about a family or people that are "just like you" to reinforce the speaker's point
of view.

7.  BAND WAGON:  This common propaganda method is when the speaker

tries to convince us to accept their point of view or else we will miss out on
something really good.  The Band-Wagon technique is often used in
advertising.  Examples: "This is the wave of the future", "Be the first on your
block", "Act Now!".   You might ask yourself "What if I was the only one on my
block because no one else was interested (duped)?".

8.  ARTIFICIAL DICHOTOMY:  This is when someone tries to claim there are

only two sides to an issue and that both sides must have equal presentation in
order to be evaluated.  This technique is used to dupe us into believing there
is only one way to look at an issue, when in fact there may be many
alternative viewpoints or "sides".  Like most propaganda techniques it
simplifies reality and therefore distorts it, often to the advantage of the
speaker.  A classic example is the "intelligent design" versus "evolution"
controversy.

9.  HOT POTATO: This is an inflammatory (often untrue) statement or

question used to throw an opponent off guard, or to embarrass them. 
Examples "Have you stopped beating your spouse", "When will you pay the
taxes you owe?"  The fact that it may be utterly untrue is irrelevant, because it
still brings controversy to the opponent.

10.  STALLING or IGNORING THE QUESTION :  This technique is used to

play for more time or to avoid answering a pointed question.  Examples: "More
research is needed...", "A fact-finding committee is working on this issue..."  "I
am calling for an investigation on this failure.." When asked about a tax
increase possibility a senator replies: "I have always met the obligations I
have to those I represent."

11.  LEAST-OF-EVILS is used to justify an otherwise unpleasant or unpopular

point of view.  Example: '"War is hell but appeasement leads to worse
disasters".

12.  SCAPEGOAT: This often use with Guilt-by-association to deflect scrutiny

away from the issues.  It transfers blame to one person or group of people
without investigating the complexities of the issue.  Examples: "George W.
Bush got us into Iraq", "President Reagan caused the national debt".

13.  CAUSE AND EFFECT MISMATCH:  This technique confuses the

audience about what is really cause and effect.  In fact the causes of most
phenomena are complex, and it is misleading to say just one of the following:
"Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria", "Tuberculosis is caused by un-regulated
capitalism that creates poor working conditions", "Tuberculosis is caused by a
lack of effective antibiotics".
14. DISTORTION OF DATA or OUT OF CONTEXT or CARD STACKING or
CHERRY PICKING:  This technique is used to convince the audience by
using selected information and not presenting the complete story.  Examples:
"A study was done that showed eating peanut butter causes liver cancer" (the
fact that later the study was later shown to be flawed or funded by the peanut
butter haters and therefore suspect, is not revealed).  A variation would be
"Raising the speed limit to 65 mph resulted in many fewer traffic fatalities". 
Such statements need to be checked with how many people were driving
before and after the change in speed limit.  Fewer people may be driving after
the speed limit change, even though the fatality rates (deaths per 100,000)
may be higher, leading to the overall result of fewer fatalities.

15.  WEAK INFERENCE (or False Cause):  Weak inference is when a

judgment is made with insufficient evidence, or that the conclusion does not
necessarily follow from the evidence given.  For example:  Ducks and geese
migrate south for the winter, therefore all waterfowl migrate south for the
winter.  Or, most rich folks vote republican, therefore most people who vote
republican are rich.

16.  FAULTY ANALOGY:  This is when a comparison is carried to far. 

Example: "The economy is following the same path as right before the great
depression, therefore we will experience a stock market crash
soon!"  SLIPPERY SLOPE would be an example of faulty analogy.  Slippery
slope makes the argument that a shift in one direction will continue to lead to
extremes (ex. smoking pot will lead to heroine addiction).  It is not necessarily
so.

17.  MISUSE OF STATISTICS:  Some examples: Average results are

reported, but not the amount of variation around the averages.  A percent or
fraction is presented, but not the sample size as in "9 out of 10 dentists
recommend...".  Absolute and proportional quantities are mixed as in "3,400
more robberies occurred in our town last year, whereas other cities hand an
increase of less than one percent".  Graphs are used that, by chopping off part
of the scale or using unusual units or no scale, distort the appearance of the
result.  Results are reported with misleading precision.  For example,
representing 13 out of 19 students as 68.42105 percent.

18. FEAR:  "Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the
country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people
along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist
dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the
leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and
denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater
danger."
-- Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials (http://www.snopes.com/quotes/goering.htm)

19. ad hominem ATTACK (also called Deflection):  You attack the

messenger, instead of the argument or evidence that is presented.

 20. tu quoque ATTACK: Pronounced too-kwo-kwee.  This technique is when

you respond to your opponent by accusing them of committing a logical fallacy
or propaganda technique instead of addressing the claim of your opponent's
argument and evidence.  Ex. "You too are using fear as a propaganda
technique"

21. Preemptive Framing: "Frame an issue before other people get a chance

to" (George Lakoff - On the Media Jan 2017) Ex. "The only reason the hacking
of the poorly defended DNC (Democratic National Committee) is discussed, is
that the loss by the Dems was so big that they were totally embarassed"  -
Donald Trump.  When in fact the Dems did not lose big, nor was is their fault
that they got hacked.

22.  Diversion: When a major issue comes up that is embarrassing or

threatening, so a diversion is created so attention is directed away from the
issue.