Every Tuesday this column will present a news report and give you the opportunity to see if You Can Spot the Propaganda. The following Monday I will present my perspective.
War propagandists, like magicians, use sensory and psychological misdirection that play upon our own cognitive biases.
#1 Framing the Refugee Debate, Tues, Apr 4, 2017
Try this experiment that shows how important, powerful and persistent the Framing Bias is. Two cards will flash on the screen; say what they are out loud.
The philosopher of science, Thomas Kuhn said, ‘Without a paradigm, good or bad, we cannot function.’
He also warned us that, “We conform experience to our paradigms”. Or as Walter Lippmann said, “We frame first then see”.
We are adrift without a frame – we seek them and tend to grasp onto one when one (or two, as below) is presented.
Can You Spot the Propaganda in this news clip:
You may want to comment on the following:
- What sensory and psychological misdirection did you detect?
- What cognitive biases does it play upon?
- Compare the message with what may be the true agenda it conceals. Popular vs Practical Geopolitics.
- The narrative: How it is framed. What is included and ignored. What is true, false and assumed. What is concluded. Is the narrative logical? Who are the protagonists, victims and antagonists? What is and what ought to be our country’s role?
- A scientific interpretation with a regard for Evidence and Reason.
