Participatory Propaganda in Seven Simple Steps
This series explores how propaganda is changing in a Digital Age, outlining an emerging hybrid model that is participatory, actively engaging target audiences in the spread of persuasive messaging.
This series explores how propaganda is changing in a Digital Age, outlining an emerging hybrid model that is participatory, actively engaging target audiences in the spread of persuasive messaging.
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6. W<strong>in</strong> Media Coverage.<br />
63<br />
Media play a critical role <strong>in</strong> further<strong>in</strong>g populist<br />
<strong>in</strong>to news. Given that some 46% of journalists<br />
agendas; 116 117 118 after all, “the media are a<br />
use social media to either source a story or verify<br />
key element <strong>in</strong> the construction of public<br />
<strong>in</strong>formation, it is possible to use the momentum<br />
understand<strong>in</strong>g.” 119 Rates of populist politician<br />
of onl<strong>in</strong>e engagement to w<strong>in</strong> coverage. 122 Indeed,<br />
media coverage correlate to popular support levels.<br />
some news stories are simply about what topics<br />
120<br />
And Trump was consistently mentioned more<br />
are trend<strong>in</strong>g on Twitter. A Google news search for<br />
on television, onl<strong>in</strong>e, and social media. 121<br />
the exact terms “Trend<strong>in</strong>g on Twitter” on 27 April<br />
2017 returned 371,000 results – with 14,000<br />
While distort<strong>in</strong>g the <strong>in</strong>formation space is<br />
important, traditional media still plays a critical role<br />
<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>form<strong>in</strong>g and sway<strong>in</strong>g the masses. Fortunately<br />
for most propagandists, it isn’t too challeng<strong>in</strong>g to<br />
w<strong>in</strong> media coverage.<br />
BE A TREND<br />
One opportunity is to translate onl<strong>in</strong>e activity<br />
published with<strong>in</strong> that past week.<br />
STAGE A SCANDAL<br />
A scandal will also attract media attention. Media<br />
savvy populist politicians are particularly adept at<br />
this. Through a “right-w<strong>in</strong>g populist perpetuum<br />
mobile”, expla<strong>in</strong>s academic Ruth Wodak, populists<br />
stage scandals to ga<strong>in</strong> media attention, caus<strong>in</strong>g<br />
the opposition to attack, then distort the ensu<strong>in</strong>g<br />
debate to position themselves as victims of a<br />
system rigged aga<strong>in</strong>st them where freedom of<br />
speech is no longer tolerated. Such scandals tend<br />
to be around a situation that can be <strong>in</strong>terpreted <strong>in</strong><br />
multiple ways. 123<br />
Draw<strong>in</strong>g from the Trump experience, an example<br />
of his campaign us<strong>in</strong>g the “right-w<strong>in</strong>g populist<br />
perpetuum mobile”, could <strong>in</strong>clude when the<br />
presidential candidate shared an image on Twitter<br />
created by a campaign supporter. In the picture,<br />
adapted from Cl<strong>in</strong>ton’s own campaign material,<br />
the Trump supporter had added a symbol very<br />
similar to the Star of David. There were public<br />
outcries that the usage of this particular symbol
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