This page is still under construction – there should be enough info here for most people to work out how the whole thing works, however until this section is completed you may have to work out some of the details for yourself, by extension of logic.
We welcome serious discussion and debate in order to improve this protocol.
Once finished we will provide update news.
Thank you.
To demonstrate the functionality of the Propaganda Watchdog Protocol, we have used the fairy-tale of ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ by Hans Christian Andersen, rather than an actual news story. Of course, we designed the protocol so you can analyse news stories, adverts, media events, political actions and the like, both past and in real-time, rather than fairy stories!
However, to demonstrate the protocol’s forensic capability for accurate analysis, we decided we needed to use a completely unbiased and non-partisan example so as to keep the focus on the functionality of the protocol, without a particular subject matter potentially causing distractions away from the intended example here which is solely for how to use the Propaganda Watchdog Protocol successfully.
To find out more about the Propaganda Watchdog Team please see FAQs (coming soon).
Upon spotting any communication of POSSIBLY dubious intent, that you are suspicious of in anyway, especially one that you think may be attempting to coerce for nefarious purposes, and which may even be described as ‘Fake News’, one may use Social Media in concert with the Propaganda Watchdog Protocol to forensically analyse it using hashtags denoting academically, historically and socially recognised and agreed definitions of coercion.
The following deconstruction of the famous Emperors New Clothes shows you how you can do it!
Imagine you are one of the folk living in the days of the vain emperor and reading the story:
“The beloved emperor is so fond of fine new clothes that he spends all his money on finery and dresses, for which the people love to pay extra taxes.
He does not bother himself about his soldiers, nor does he care about
going to the play, or driving in the park, except when he wants to show
off his new clothes. He has a dress for every hour of the day.In our great city where he lives there is always great merriment going on; every day a number of strangers arrives here. One day two men came to the city; and said they knew how to weave the most splendid cloth one could imagine. Not only were the colors and the patterns something out of the common, but the clothes which were made from these materials possessed the wonderful property of becoming invisible to every one that was not fit for his office, or was hopelessly stupid.”
Adapted from Hans Christian Andersen
So with you, the reader, maybe being doubtful as to the story’s veracity, and wishing to flag it up as ‘Fake News’ to your fellows on Social Media, opening a discussion based on factual analysis, you can now do so, using the work of past and present experts, which we have arranged into a language of hashtags, so they are both current and searchable.
We have arranged the propaganda hashtag terms into three categories – B = Basic, I = Intermediate and A = Advanced – which indicates roughly how much effort may be required in learning each section/stack:
The first point to note is that an analysis does not have to use all of the propaganda terms. In fact, you can quite successfully do an analysis using, for example, just #PropagandaTechniques or #PropagandaTactics.
However, for the purposes of the demonstration we have provided an analysis which goes across the spectrum of the propaganda categories, using a neutral story that we have elaborated on, in order to demonstrate the protocol’s versatility as much as possible.
We will start by going through each section of the Propaganda Deconstruction Toolkit, starting with #Needs.
The demonstration is also based on the assumption that all of the knowledge contained in the Propaganda Deconstruction Toolkit pages is known.
As mentioned elsewhere this is the highest manipulated value in propaganda and the ‘stack’ of propaganda terms descends from there, adding in complexity at each layer.
Secondly, before detailing any propaganda or coercion which you believe may be present in the media piece you are analysing, remember first to always state at the beginning, the hashtag:
#PossUseOf
…i.e. ‘Possible Use Of’ and then go on to present your analysis. By ensuring to state the hashtag #PossUseOf at the start of anything you analyse, this demonstrates that your insight is just that, an opinion, and therefore protects you for legal reasons.
Then you need to assess the media you are analysing for any of the propaganda stacks detailed here in the Propaganda Deconstruction Toolkit.
PROPAGANDA DECONSTRUCTION TOOLKIT EXAMPLE CONTENTS:
Below we will now analyse ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ going through the propaganda terms from number 1 (#Needs) onwards, explaining which terms are relevant, how and why we arrived at them and how the analysis could be presented.
1. #Needs
Here you can decide which #Needs the potential propaganda is attempting to fulfill, if any.
After reading about the use of #Needs as propaganda, you may decide (as we have done) that the story is fulfilling the emperor’s #EsteemNeed, since the vain emperor, who is:
“wanting to show off his new clothes”
Adapted from Hans Christian Andersen
…together with the #SelfActualisationNeed as the emperor is:
“less concerned with the opinions of others, and interested [in] fulfilling their potential.”
Kendra Cherry, Very Well Mind, ‘The Five Levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs’, June 26, 2019
…so make a note “Emperor” next to the hashtags:
#EsteemNeed and #SelfActualisationNeed
When referring to the emperor’s people, bear in mind that they are in fear for their jobs as they may be deemed:
“not fit for his office, or… hopelessly stupid.”
Adapted from Hans Christian Andersen
…if they do not ‘fall into line’, and ‘appreciate’ the ‘wonderful clothes’. They may lose their jobs and so be unable to pay their rent or feed their family. As a result this brings the:
#SecurityNeed
…they may also lose their position in society. This brings:
#BelongingnessNeed and #EsteemNeed
Having now analysed ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ for propaganda within the #Needs section, you can now set-out your findings (a good example how is below), using your preferred Social Media platform, comments section, video, etc.
Be sure you denote the category so people will know which section you are referring to, in this case its #Needs.
“‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ by Hans Christian Andersen
#PossUseOf
1.
Emperor: #EsteemNeed #SelfActualisationNeed
People: #SecurityNeed #BelongingnessNeed #EsteemNeed”
Propaganda Watchdog End-User Example
You then move onto the next section, in our demonstration here its section 2 #Persuasion , to analyse for potential propaganda that may be being used and, if so, how and why, similarly to the process set-out above for the #Needs section.
2. #Persuasion
Here you can decide which #Persuasion the potential propaganda is attempting to fulfill.
So being sure you denote the category:
2. #Persuasion
…so people can decode your work, you may decide that this story is fulfilling the:
#Authority
…principle of persuasion, from the emperor, after all the emperor surely knows what is the best clothing, what with all his gold, palaces and titles, as well as the:
#SocialProof
…type of persuasion, after all the palace coterie, the lords and ladies, the politicians in their fine clothes, and the people in their rags, would not bow down before him like they do, if he were not so sensible as to be wearing the finest garments. So realising this, you may also decide this story is fulfilling the:
#Scarcity
…principle of persuasion, as the weavers are so enigmatic and little heard of, that only the emperor has had enough gold to afford to pay their high prices, thanks of course to the enormous taxes paid to him by the sometimes starving people, who stare at him in wonder as their bones protrude from their rags and hand-me-downs.
Having continued to note down your observations thus, for category 2 #Persuasion, as with category 1 #Needs, you may have set-out your analysis so far, which looks a little like our below example:
“‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ by Hans Christian Andersen
#PossUseOf
1.
Emperor: #EsteemNeed #SelfActualisationNeed
People: #SecurityNeed #BelongingnessNeed #EsteemNeed
2. #Authority #SocialProof #Scarcity”
Propaganda Watchdog End-User Example
…and you can move on to the next section.
3. #Motivation
Here you can decide which #Motivation from the four main axes the potential propaganda is attempting to fulfill:
…and when we read that:
“If we want the exhilaration of accomplishment, we must take risks. So, motivated by the wish to leave a thumbprint on the world, we take a controversial stand”
Margaret Mark and Carol S. Pearson, ‘The Hero and the Outlaw’
…we realise the emperor and the newspaper are taking a stand of:
#RiskMastery
So our analysis may, if we agree, become:
“‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ by Hans Christian Andersen
#PossUseOf
1.
Emperor: #EsteemNeed #SelfActualisationNeed
People: #SecurityNeed #BelongingnessNeed #EsteemNeed
2. #Authority #SocialProof #Scarcity
3. #RiskMastery”
Propaganda Watchdog End-User Example
…and you can move onto the next section, which is #Stories.
4. #Stories
Here you can decide which #Archetypes from the twelve main archetypes from Margaret Mark and Carol S. Pearson’s book on commercial branding, ‘The Hero and the Outlaw’ (plus another we have identified) to define the potential propaganda, as well as any shadow aspects being characterised or obscured, and any other archetypes you can identify, which may be present in the potential propaganda you are attempting to deconstruct.
So if we hear #stories that the emperor, who would in a healthy society be epitomised by #Caregiver #Sage #Hero, by instead parading around in his new clothes rules over a society in which people, we find out perhaps thankfully from a Watchdog who posts a link with an analysis, are starving and homeless.
…then you could link to alternative sources of information, allowing others to see and maybe comment on how relevant they may be to your analysis. We may decide he is projecting the #Ruler archetype but epitomising its shadow aspect, the #Tyrant.
Someone could even suggest an archetype not covered in the book, ‘The Hero and the Outlaw’, to classify the emperors behaviour in the archetype of the #Connoisseur and its #ShadowAspect, the #Dupe.
Having continued to note down your observations thus, for category 2 #Persuasion, as with category 1 #Needs, you may have set-out your analysis so far, which looks a little like our below example:
“‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ by Hans Christian Andersen
#PossUseOf
1. Emperor: #EsteemNeed #SelfActualisationNeed
People: #SecurityNeed #BelongingnessNeed #EsteemNeed
2. #Authority #SocialProof #Scarcity
3. #RiskMastery
4. #Archetype[s]: #Ruler #Connoisseur > #ShadowArchetype[s]: #Tyrant #Ignoramus
see
http://thisisanexample.url/emperor-taxes-starving-poor-to -pay-new-weavers”
Propaganda Watchdog End-User Example
(N.B. NOT A REAL LINK- FOR DEMONSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY)
…and you can move onto the next section, which is #Learning…
5. #Learning
Here you can decide which #Learning from the types of #Conditioning the potential propaganda is attempting to fulfill:
Here you can decide which #learning coercion from the main examples is being used to define the mental process on your brain potential propaganda is exploiting which may be present in the potential propaganda you are attempting to deconstruct.
In this case the agents of the emperor and the newspaper are trying to make you conform to an erroneous deduction i.e. you can see something that is not there because actors in positions of authority are telling you it IS THERE.
A lot of this will be because over time you have been conditioned to obey authority, in whichever form it presents itself through classical conditioning:
“Classical conditioning (also known as Pavlovian or respondent conditioning) refers to a learning procedure in which a biologically potent stimulus (e.g. food) is paired with a previously neutral stimulus (e.g. a bell). It also refers to the learning process that results from this pairing, through which the neutral stimulus comes to elicit a response (e.g. salivation) that is usually similar to the one elicited by the potent stimulus.[…]
Classical conditioning differs from operant or instrumental conditioning: in classical conditioning, behaviors are modified through the association of stimuli as described above, whereas in operant conditioning behaviors are modified by the effect they produce (i.e., reward or punishment).”
‘Classical Conditioning’ via Wikipedia, retrieved 3rd July 2019
In this occurrence the long term classical conditioning (to believe authority) is stretched to ridiculous levels, overriding your own sensory input, by:
Operant conditioning (also called instrumental conditioning) is a learning process through which the strength of a behavior is modified by reinforcement or punishment. It is also a procedure that is used to bring about such learning.”
…so by the newspaper saying the emperor’s outfit is invisible to:
“everyone who is not fit for his office or is hopelessly stupid”
…we find that it is #operantconditioning as:
“the strength of a behavior is modified by reinforcement or punishment”
…i.e. it rewards you, in its capacity as a pillar of authority, relating a story about a pillar of authority, for ‘seeing’ what is not there by assuring you that you are smart, and simultaneously branding you as stupid for not ‘seeing’ it.
This is the ‘reward’. Having continued to note down your observations thus, for category 5 #Learning as with category 1 #Needs, you may have set-out your analysis so far, which looks a little like our below example:
“‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ by Hans Christian Andersen
#PossUseOf
1. Emperor: #EsteemNeed #SelfActualisationNeed
People: #SecurityNeed #BelongingnessNeed #EsteemNeed
2. #Authority #SocialProof #Scarcity
3. #RiskMastery
4. #Archetype[s]: #Ruler #Connoisseur > #ShadowArchetype[s]: #Tyrant #Ignoramus
see
http://thisisanexample.url/emperor-taxes-starving-poor-to -pay-new-weavers
5. Long-term #ClassicalConditioning get you to believe what they say, leading to #OperantConditioning- punish as ‘stupid’ if you can’t see the ‘clothes'”
Propaganda Watchdog End-User Example
6. #ChemicalHormonal
Here you can decide which #ChemicalHormonal actions the potential propaganda may be trying to exploit in order to #condition you:
You can ascertain these by going back over what you are reviewing but this time consciously think how you felt/feel at certain points e.g. happy, sad etc.
Whilst sounding like potentially one of the most technical/difficult categories, it is actually more simple than it sounds and can actually be one of the most compelling. It also can help you illustrate to others the most easily insofar as you can ask someone how they feel after looking at the piece you are analysing. Ask yourself. Once noted down you can allot them into the different #chemicalhormonal terms. From this you ascertain consciously how you have been made to feel, that which would normally be a subconsciously absorbed unknown to you. This is where you can start deciding for yourself, consciously, about the elements which make up the media piece you are analysing.
In this case, the newspaper is telling you that if you do not see the Emperor’s new clothes, then you are “not fit for office” or that you will be cast out from the community, as upon acknowledging the splendor of the new outfit, those people are united in a shared community of sentiment, in which they congratulate themselves, and each other, on how smart and how “fit for office”, they are.
In people who doubt their ability to see the new clothes despite their peers assurance saying how good they look and therefore assuring them that they must be there, the person doubting their own perceptions may feel scared, primarily at being cast-out from the group and also at the prospect of losing one’s job and therefore not being able to feed one’s family etc.
This realisation that one must at least pretend to see the new clothes, this in itself may release #endorphin.
However, we believe the Propaganda Watchdog Stacking Protocol enables a much more coherent analysis of communication.
“‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ by Hans Christian Andersen
#PossUseOf
1. #Needs-Emperor: #EsteemNeed #SelfActualisationNeed
People: #SecurityNeed #BelongingnessNeed #EsteemNeed
2. #Persuasion #Authority #SocialProof #Scarcity
3. #Motivation- #RiskMastery
4. #Stories- #Archetype[s]: #Ruler #Connoisseur > #ShadowArchetype[s]: #Tyrant #Ignoramus
see
http://thisisanexample.url/emperor-taxes-starving-poor-to -pay-new-weavers
5. #Learning – Long-term #ClassicalConditioning tries to get you to blindly believe authority, setting a background programming in this case to execute #OperantConditioning-and punish you as ‘stupid’ if you can’t see the emperor’s new ‘clothes’.
6. #ChemicalHormonal #Oxytocin the feeling of comfort in abdicating personal responsibility, putting your faith in the authority of experts, joining the ‘in’ group who can see the emperor’s new clothes and who feel hostility at those who can’t.”
Propaganda Watchdog End-User Example
Testimonial Propaganda:
Not all sections need be used, in fact you can do a perfectly good analysis with only one, well placed, insight. This type of analysis could be done for the Emperor’s New Clothes simply by the hashtag of the propaganda technique #Testimonial. This alone indicates the method by which the people are fooled into ‘seeing’ imaginary ‘fine clothing’.
“Testimonials are quotations, in or out of context, especially cited to support or reject a given policy, action, program, or personality. The reputation or the role (expert, respected public figure, etc.) of the individual giving the statement is exploited. The testimonial places the official sanction of a respected person or authority on a propaganda message. This is done in an effort to cause the target audience to identify itself with the authority or to accept the authority’s opinions and beliefs as its own.”
https://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_testimonial_propaganda
We will add more to this page as the site grows and will generate examples for sections 7 onwards, we will input them here and share out the urls via email updates, if opted in, and our Social Media platforms.
7. #PropagandaFilters
In this section you can attempt to apply the famed propaganda filter of Hermann and Chomsky’s seminal work on propaganda #ManufacturingConsent:
…after we have attempted to judge any potential genetic, unconscious and biological determinants that may be inherent in a communication, and the way they affect our learning is to determine the entities, hidden facts,agendas,lesser known affiliations behind media sources, tech companies, agencies, NGOs that create front organisations, media events, propaganda, celebrities, editorial bias and advertising.
https://propagandawatchdogtemp.wordpress.com/propaganda-filters/
In this section we identify the filters.
“Since 1990, a wave of massive deals and rapid globalization [have led to a situation in which] media analyst, Ben Bagdikian, observes that the institutional bias of the private mass media “does not merely protect the corporate system. It robs the public of a chance to understand the real world.”
That conclusion is well supported by the evidence we have reviewed.
[…] A propaganda model focuses on this inequality of wealth and power and its multilevel effects on mass-media interests and choices. It traces the routes by which money and power are able to filter out the news fit to print, marginalize dissent, and allow the government and dominant private interests to get their messages across to the public. The essential ingredients of our propaganda model, or set of news “filters,” fall under the following headings:
Hermann & Chomsky, ‘Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy Of The Mass Media 1988‘
#SizeOwnershipProfit
…thus this hashtag can be modified, with research linking to a url, in order to indicate which party or parties of:
https://propagandawatchdogtemp.wordpress.com/propaganda-filters/
“the size, concentrated ownership, owner wealth, and profit orientation of the dominant mass-media firms”
Hermann & Chomsky, ‘Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy Of The Mass Media 1988‘
So we may find out that the emperor himself, has a major share in a conglomerate that owns the newspaper!
We may then link to the source, exposing possible bias thus
#SizeOwnershipProfit – emperor via EMPINFO – emperor holds 51% stake in publication group source
imaginaryurl.com/the-emperors-official-declared-holdings
#Advertising
“…advertising as the primary income source of the mass media…”
Hermann & Chomsky, ‘Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy Of The Mass Media 1988‘
As advertisers hold great power over what can/cannot be said, this hashtag can be modified, with research linking to a url in question, in order to indicate which party or parties may be involved. So we may find that the weavers have spend a quarter of their gold with the emperor’s newspaper, so they can sell a ‘low end’ version of the emperor’s new clothes to all the people in the land. This may be publisghed in an advertising weekly. So we can further our analysisa and amend the hashtag #Advertising with an indication of the interest at stake.
#Advertising #Weavers > spending 1/4 gold earned on ads in emperor’s paper and all other papers for next few weeks according to Promotion magazine
Yopu could even amend it with an observation such as
#Sourcing
“the reliance of the media on information provided by government, business, and “experts” funded and approved by these primary sources and agents of power[…]
The mass media are drawn into a symbiotic relationship with powerful sources of information by economic necessity and reciprocity of interest. The media need a steady, reliable flow of the raw material of news.
They have daily news demands … they concentrate their resources where significant news often occurs, where important rumors and leaks abound, and where regular press conferences are held.
Hermann & Chomsky, ‘Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy Of The Mass Media 1988‘
Thus emperor’s palace retinue and now the weavers likely have a very cosy relationship with the media’, and hold great power over what can/cannot be said, thus this hashtag can be modified, with research linking to a photo maybe of important palace officials walking around proudly in ‘freebies’ from the weavers, as they handle news. Which may have been witnessed
#Flak
“flak” as a means of disciplining the media[…] “Flak” refers to negative responses to a media statement or program.
It may take the form of letters, telegrams, phone calls, petitions, lawsuits, speeches and bills before Congress, and other modes of complaint, threat, and punitive action.
[…], it can be both uncomfortable and costly to the media. [] The powerful can also work on the media indirectly by complaining to their own constituencies (stockholders, employees) about the media, by generating institutional advertising that does the same, and by funding right-wing monitoring or think-tank operations designed to attack the media. They may also fund political campaigns and help put into power … politicians who will more directly serve the interests of private power in curbing any deviationism in the media. “flak” as a means of disciplining the media[…] flak.”
Hermann & Chomsky, ‘Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy Of The Mass Media 1988‘
Thus #flak comes from #frontcompanies collectively hold great power over what can/cannot be said, thus this hashtag can be modified, with research linking to a url in question, in order to indicate which party or parties may be involved. and may just need to be recorded in circumstantial evidence such as:
#Flak “Coverage of the work of traditionally skilled weavers has reduced from an average of three articles a week to none.”
…or even in pieces stating that traditionally skilled weaving (clothes) are ‘over’ and ‘foolish’. In which case it can be illustrated with a url for possible cases in which editorial has been effected such as
So in your analysis you may write:
#Flak >https//:anotherimaginaryurl.com/traditionally-skilled-weaving-is-so-last-season
#Ideology
“A final filter is… ideology
Hermann & Chomsky, ‘Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy Of The Mass Media 1988‘
“…ideology helps mobilize the populace against an enemy, and because the concept is fuzzy it can be used against anybody advocating policies that threaten property interests …It therefore helps fragment [opposition…] and serves as a political-control mechanism. If the triumph of [the #Bogeyman] is the worst imaginable result, the support of fascism abroad is justified as a lesser evil. Opposition […] who are too soft […] and “play into their hands” is rationalized in similar terms.
Hermann & Chomsky, ‘Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy Of The Mass Media 1988‘
So in the case of the emperor who flaunts his new dress sense while the people starve, it may be expressed in propaganda idealising the emperor as ‘human’, and a ‘champion of the poor’ and the lineage which gives him, his privilege by the appearance of #puffpieces, writing which serves to lend status to the man through exalting his #personality cult:
…maybe through an appeal to patriotic self sacrifice in protecting the people from the bogeyman.
#Ideology > https://anotherimaginaryurl.com-emperor-confides-his-struggle-to-the-poor
#Flak >https//:anotherimaginaryurl.com/traditionally-skilled-weaving-is-so-last-season
#Ideology > https://anotherimaginaryurl.com-emperor-confides-his-struggle-to-the-poor