Bias and Propaganda

WHAT IS BIAS?

●Bias is writing which is slanted toward one opinion

●An unbiased article would present both sides of the issues

WHAT IS PROPAGANDA?

●Propaganda is a way of wording or structuring something so it appeals mostly to emotions, and it distorts facts. ●It is used to promote a one sided argument aimed at winning people over to a certain cause or belief

TYPES OF PROPAGANDA:

●Loaded words and phrases / emotional appeal

●Buzzwords which create a certain reaction in the audience without thinking

●For example, customers react positively to the word “free” even if there are hidden costs

EXAMPLE

TYPES OF PROPAGANDA:

●Name calling / demonizing the enemy

-An attack on a person instead of an issue

-Attaching a word to a person in order to take advantage of the words emotional meaning

NAME CALLING

TYPES OF PROPAGANDA:

●Euphemisms

●Using words that make harsh or bad things sound not so bad

●For example, a person “passed away” instead of “died, croaked, kicked the bucket”

EUPHEMISM

Correctional Facility instead of a JAIL

TYPES OF PROPAGANDA:

●The bandwagon technique

●It encourages people to do something because others have already joined the cause or participated in the action

●Do it or buy it because everyone else is

EXAMPLE

TYPES OF PROPAGANDA:

●Testimonial●Provides a source to give credibility to or support a statement●Problems arise when someone unqualified recommends a product●www.youtube.com/watch?v=lud7IY0blNEl●Has Ronnie ever really needed to lose weight and use this product?

TYPES OF PROPAGANDA:

●Transference

●Tries to transfer the authority of one person, product, or organization to something or someone else●http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAVALXH9nxU●Do you think these dentists are qualified to speak on behalf of this product?

TYPES OF PROPAGANDA:

●Bad Logic●An argument based on false premises or false logic

●Premise 1: Hillary Clinton supports gun-control legislation. ●Premise 2: All fascist regimes of the twentieth century have passed gun-control legislation. ●Conclusion: Hillary Clinton is a fascist.

TYPES OF PROPAGANDA:

●Fear●An appeal to fear that a certain disaster or tragedy will occur if certain action is not taken●Sometimes the warning may be legitimate, but if the warning lack proof, it can be propaganda●http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FtNm9CgA6U●Does this commercial make you afraid?

TYPES OF PROPAGANDA:

●Stereotyping / Sweeping Generalization

●Lumping all people into a certain group without any regard for the individual ●Based on limited information●http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tZR3M7SQwA●Do all “manly” men have to like this type of hamburger?

TYPES OF PROPAGANDA

●Glittering generalities ●This technique is mainly used in advertising, with a particular company creating an illusion that their product is better than their competitors on no particular grounds. ●http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31pEZWaIhr0●According to this commercial what makes Pepsi better than Coke?

REPETITION

●Persuades someone to buy something by repeating a message over and over again●http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEuuECHZaeU●Did you hear the repetition? Does it work?

CIRCULAR ARGUMENT

●States a conclusion as part of the proof of the argument

NUMBERS, FACTS, STATISTICS

●Persuades us by showing how numbers can affect what we think. ●http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atgF27aIgY4

●What did you think of that???

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO KNOW ABOUT PROPAGANDA?

●Knowing what propaganda is will help you know when you are or are not getting honest information.