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://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
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