Propaganda toolbox

1. Simplification

Binary picture of the world. All-or-nothing, black or white, no nuancesThis kind of simplification is a way to propagate to peopleBut: If you nuance your opinion, propaganda looks more believable

2. Repetition

What is said many times, on all sides, is trueBut: if there is too much repetition, the spread of the message becomes counterproductive

3. Slogans

Slogans and are catchy words.But: if you pick the wrong ones, you are going to lose bigly

4. Euphemisms

The attitude towards phenomena is largely determined by how you call them. “Our heroic agent — their despicable spy”.But: If your false words to describe reality are too far from reality, people lose faith in what you say

5. Framing and reframing

so-called “narratives”, reconsideration, revisionism, alternative vision, etcBut: the audience is gained slowly, most likely you will have just a tiny portion

6. Distortion 

Focusing on the unimportant, ignoring the essentialBut: you never know what will actually be the most important

7. Emotional attack

But: the effect will not last long

8. Outflanking

make feature films about your values, and not shout about them from an openly political platform.But: this is a path that requires time and investment

9. Reflexive control

But: complicated combinations often fail

10. Sowing despair

Sowing disbelief and skepticismBut: you need to maintain these moods constantly

11. Setting the limits of the discussion

But: for this you need to control the information space

12. Appeal to authority

But: in the 21st century people trust authorities less and less

13. False analogy

But: your analogy should be effective and understandable

14. Trolling

Trolling and auto-trollingBut: people are more sympathetic to those who laugh at themselves, not at others

15. Name-calling

 Labeling / Stigmatization (“Enemy of the people,” “terrorist,” “pervert”)But: if a person or group is stigmatized too much, it can arouse compassion or even sympathy.

16. Trojan horse

Trojan horse: a trap for your opponentBut: you can come across an experienced gatekeeper who will not let your horse into the city

17. Multisensory spectacle

But: this requires a talented art director

18. Cherry picking

Biased selection of factsOne-sided presentation of information, even if factually trueBut: there will always be those who will tell the other side of the story

19. Accosiations

Activation of the subconscious network of associationsBut: you need to feel the society very subtly to predict its emotions

20. Active Seeker

Transforming a passive recipient of information into an active seekerBut: people prefer to scroll, not make decisions

21. Fear trading

Encouragement to action.A person who has joined an organization and has already taken action (especially a crime, such as a terrorist attack) or has cut off ties with an important part of their life is much less likely to change his mind and withdraw.But: there will always be fewer people willing to take action than willing not to do it

22. Epidemic spread of memes

 Epidemic spread of memes / hashtags / strong emotionsBut: you never actually know which memes / hashtags / strong emotions will actually get viral

23. Multiplication of voices

“The spiral of silence”, “50 Cent Army”; “Death by a thousand cuts”. Formation of the mainstream, the norm, the acceptable version due to the number of media actors who spread this version(s) and ridicule the other(s). Troll factories.
But: troll factories require investment

24. Multiplication of versions

The easiest way to hide the truth is behind tons of lies. The more different versions of an event, the less the truth costs.If you launch a multitude of different versions, they may be worthless and contradict each other, but they will confuse an everyman, make him lose hope of finding the truth. Tocqueville’s method: “The only way to neutralize the influence of newspapers is to multiply their number”.But: It is necessary to control the lion’s share of the information field to be an authoritarian government media empire.

25. Love as a weapon

 If you respond to your enemy’s aggression with a friendly, peaceful gesture, the audience will appreciate it and give you the moral upper hand.
But: if your supporters are implacable towards your opponents, they may perceive it as a betrayal.

Specifically for Politics

26. Populism 

Glittering Generalities.Using emotional, inflated phrases, which have no real value, but everyone is ready to agree with.But: you will immediately be called a populist

27. Silencing

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28. Bandwagon effect

people want to be on the side of successBut: As soon as you lose the halo of a winner, the crowd under the bandwagon will disperse just as easily

29. The principle of contrast

But: your representative cannot be the worst

30. Astroturfing

Imitation of a request from societyBut: if no one takes up the initiative, it will remain off the agenda

31. Creating a problem

Creating a problem / a threatBut: be careful not to be accused of not having a solution

32. Whistleblowing 

Whistleblowing and false whistleblowingBut: Dissidents need to have a spotless reputation

33. Baptists and bootleggers

Different kinds of people around a common causeBut: motley unions don’t last long

34. Transfer

Transfer the prestige and reputation of a company, country etc, onto oneself)But: you never know how this brand will be viewed tomorrow

35. Smear


36. False flag operation

But: you’ll lose big if you get caught


37. Ridicule the enemy (Destroying the enemy’s arguments)Ridicule the enemy and his arguments

38. Demonize the enemy

But: Ridicule and demonization don’t match together well 

39. Rumors fabrication

Fabricate rumours about your enemyBut: the rumours need a fuel to travel far

40. Reductio ad Hitlerum

 Draw parallels between the enemy and NazismBut: your opponent will do the sameBut: the further you go, the more trivial this method becomes

41. Brainwashing 

But: it requires a combination of elements such as isolation, alternating carrot and stick, prolonged control over the individual, influence from both “prison guards” and “cellmates”.

42. Decoy effect

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43. Sandwich people

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44. Whataboutism

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45. Illusion of independent conclusion

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46. Dehuninization

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47. Flood the zone with shit

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48. Background influence

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49. Anchoring

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50. Big lie

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51. Proximity to the people

Proximity to the people / Plain folks ; “I am one of you”But: A political leader who is too fond of populism risks losing his sacredness

Specific language propaganda techniques


Loaded Language – Emotion-packed words to trigger reactions

To be added soon

Name Calling / Labeling – Reducing people to stereotypes

To be added soon

Repetition – Say it enough and it feels true

To be added soon

Exaggeration / Minimization – Blowing things up or playing them down

To be added soon

Doubt – Posing questions to undermine trust

To be added soon

Appeal to Fear / Prejudice – Exploiting what scares or angers you

To be added soon

Flag-Waving – Wrapping ideas in loyalty or identity

To be added soon

Causal Oversimplification – Blaming one thing for a complex issue

To be added soon

Slogans – Catchy phrases that replace thought

To be added soon

Appeal to Authority – “Because they said so”

To be added soon

Black-and-White Fallacy – No middle ground allowed

To be added soon

Thought-Terminating Cliché – Ending debate with a tidy phrase

To be added soon

Whataboutism / Straw Man / Red Herring – Dodging the point

To be added soon

Bandwagon / Reductio ad Hitlerum – Popularity or guilt by association

To be added soon

Sources and further material

SemEval-2020 Task 11: Detection of Propaganda Techniques in News ArticlesGiovanni Da San Martino, Alberto Barron-Cede, Henning Wachsmuth, Rostislav Petrov, Preslav Nakov

Prezi presentation by Prof. Iurii

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