Stop Propaganda From Taking Over Your Own Mind

How to Seek Truth in the News and Online (Part 1) 

 

 

Mixed in with facts, Propaganda/Disinformation/Fake News are a regular occurrence.
Fake, doctored, selected footage/pictures/quotes are common.
We are expected to believe them

To make us think and act  as the politician,

writer, broadcaster or blogger wants

The following examples apply to

the UK and Northern Ireland, but the principles are universal.

You can apply them to your own country and

see what answers you come up with.

In the UK Propaganda/Disinformation/Fake News etc

are used to make us

1)adopt a certain viewpoint

(e.g. we love the Royal family),

2)agree with a political line

(No No to IndyRef2 and Scottish Independence)

(Never, Never to Irish Republicanism),

3)disdain a social group or groups

(like “work shirkers, living on welfare”,

immigrants, travellers and gypsies, EU workers etc) and

4)support political, economic and financial policies

like Brexit

that are not in our own interests

The ordinary man and woman in the street

is unwittingly the target of
techniques honed from psychology, advertising and marketing

So how do we find our way though the maze of this propaganda?

Step 1: Never immediately believe everything you see/read.

Trust your own intuition if something doesn’t ring true.

Try and understand what doesn’t convince you.

Identify the word or phrase, sentence or paragraph

Step 2: Apply Scepticism

e.g. Why should I love the Royal Family?
I’ve never met any of them.
They’ve never done anything for me or mine
Yet I’m paying for them

Step 3: Analyse what you are reading/hearing/watching

Ask yourself:
• Who is producing this news?
• What they are saying?
• Who are they directing the propaganda at?
• Who is the intended audience?
• Why?
• How effective is it?

Remember: Your answers to the questions will be biased

Remember: Apply scepticism and analysis, not outrage

Why are you  writing that?

To help you understand

Your answers are intrinsically linked to your own background,

educational level, political orientation,

pet loves and hates.

BUT . .. they will help you
look your own prejudices straight in the eye

assess and weigh up the information you have just got

accept it, agree conditionally or discard it.

And maybe even gradually change your mind on some issues

 

 

PICS

la voce di venezia.it

https://payhip.com/b/wGYu

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/the-view-from-the-clapham-omnibus-6456516.html

https://www.instyle.com/news/meghan-markle-kate-middleton-rumor-feud

https://www.reddit.com/r/eyes/comments

http://whisper.sh/whisper/05261359508fda9e724e58c14aa427c4669097