DETECT BIASES AND PROPAGANDA DEVICES

WHAT IS PROPAGANDA?

Is the term for one-to-many communication that promotes point of view or a

political cause.

Used to manipulate Used to persuade to Used to influence Used to spread ideas

the readers’ or believe in something or opinions, emotions, that further a cause a
viewers’ reason and someone, buy an item, attitudes, or behavior. political, commercial,
or vote a certain way. religious or civil
emotion.
cause.

PROPAGANDA TECHNIQUES/DEVICES

Connects a person, Also called Direct (direct attack

NAME product or idea to stereotyping or on an opponent)
CALLING something negative. labelling. Indirect (likely to
annoy the audience)

Example:

Very subtle, nothing negative is said but it is implied that

cokes’ only value is to use it as a step stool to get to the better
product.

Uses words or ideas A commonly admired

GLITTERING that evoke an virtue is used to inspire
emotional response. positive feelings for a
GENERALITIES
person, idea, or product.

Example:

Things go better with Coke.

 Relates a product to Carries over the authority, sanction,
someone or and prestige of something we
TRANSFER something we like. respect to something he would have
us accept.

Example:

Sarah Geronimo have a long black silky hair in taking good

of her hair. She uses sunsilk.

A well-known person When a famous person or a

endorses an idea, a celebrity endorses a certain
TESTIMONIAL product, or a view, they testify to the
candidate. idea or the product.

Example:

Lebron James is promoting the famous fastfood place

McDonald’s. When his fans see this, they want to eat here
because their favorite NBA basketball player went here.

Uses regular people Works in a way to establish that the

to sell a product or speaker is regular and ordinary and
PLAIN FOLKS service. has the same views and opinions as
the people he is appealing to.

Example:

SUBWAY has a man promoting them by saying that if you eat SUBWAY,
you will lose weight.
 Focuses on the best The propagandist uses only those
CARD features and leaves facts and details that support their
STACKING out or lies about argument. The selected reasons are
problems. used to support the conclusion.

Example:

Creamsilk conditioner can give hair a smooth

and silky appearance.

Asks people to join Influencing people by telling

the crowd and take them how everyone is using
BANDWAGON action because the same product or is true to
everyone is doing it. the same ideology.

Example:

Pepsi commercial that pushed forth the slogan

“the choice of a new generation”

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO KNOW ABOUT PROPAGANDA?

Knowing what propaganda is will help you know when you are or are not getting honest information.
 favoring one person or side over another.
WHAT IS
Generally seen as a “one sided” perspective.
BIAS?
Writing which is slanted toward one opinion.

HOW TO DETECT BIASES?

Here are some forms of media bias to watch for:

Bias by Omission

For every news story that is selected, there are many others that are left out. Do the news stories you
see show a balanced view of real life? What are the characteristics they have in common? (e.g., Are they
mostly about violence, famous people, wealth?) Do some news sources include items that are ignored
by others?

Bias by Use of Language

The use of labels such as “terrorist”, “revolutionary”, or “freedom fighter” can create completely
different impressions of the same person or event.

Bias through Use of Names and Titles

News media often use labels and titles to describe people, places, and events. A person can be called an
“ex-con” or be referred to as someone who “served time twenty years ago for a minor offense.”
Whether a person is described as a “terrorist” or a “freedom fighter” is a clear indication of editorial
bias.

Bias by Photos, Captions and Camera Angles

Some pictures flatter a person, others make the person look unpleasant. A paper can choose photos to
influence opinion about, for example, a candidate for election. On television, the choice of which visual
images to display is extremely important. The captions newspapers run below photos are also potential
sources of bias.

Bias by Headlines

Some headlines can be deceptive, as their main purpose is to grab attention. Many people read only
the headlines, which can create a distorted sense of what is really going on or turn a non-event into a
sensational event.
 Bias by Repetition

The repetition of a particular event or idea can lead people to believe that it is true, very widespread,
and much more important than it really is.

Bias through Statistics and Crowd Counts

To make a disaster seem more spectacular (and therefore worthy of reading about), numbers can be
inflated. “A hundred injured in air crash” can be the same as “only minor injuries in air crash,”
reflecting the opinion of the person doing the counting.

Word Choice and Tone

Showing the same kind of bias that appears in headlines, the use of positive or negative words or
words with a particular connotation can strongly influence the reader or viewer.

Remember:
Always be critical and aware as you read, watch, or listen to mass media. Keep alert for these many
forms of bias.
 Fernando Ma. Guerrero Elementary School
Pedro Gil St., Paco, Manila

Name: ______________________________________ Date: ______________________

Lesson: Detect Biases and Propaganda Devices

Activity 1: Read and understand carefully the directions:

Identify the following and encircle your answer.

1. It is a term for one to many communication that promotes point of view or a political cause.
a. Propaganda
b. Stereotype
c. Euphemism
d. Point of View

2. Propaganda techniques are used:

a. as figurative language
b. as persuasion motivators to perspective buyers
c. as ways to inference details
d. none of the above

3. Technique that used to relate a product to someone or something we like.

a. Bandwagon
b. Glitter Generalities
c. Plain Folks
d. Transfer

4. Used famous personalities to recommend a product to the market.

a. Bandwagon
b. Testimonial
c. Transfer
d. Glitter Generalities

5. Put forth the idea that everyone is doing this, or everyone support this person/cause so should
you.
a. Name calling
b. Transfer
c. Bandwagon
d. Plain Folks
 Fernando Ma. Guerrero Elementary School
Pedro Gil St., Paco, Manila

Name: ______________________________________ Date: ______________________

Lesson: Detect Biases and Propaganda Devices

Activity 2: Read and understand carefully the directions:

Give an example of each type of propaganda (a poster, magazine ad, etc.). On notebook paper,
answer the questions on this worksheet for EACH example and attach the ads to your answers. Put
the ads in the same order as your answers.

1. Title of Ad
_________________________________________________________________

2. What is your ad trying to “sell” (a product or an idea)?

_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

3. Briefly describe your ad (its appearance, message, tone, etc)

_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

4. Intended audience (ex. a specific group of people, a nation, etc)

_________________________________________________________________

5. Propaganda technique used (ex. testimonial, bandwagon, fear, etc.)

_________________________________________________________________

6. What clues indicate technique used?

_________________________________________________________________

7. What makes the ad effective in “selling the product”?

_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
 Fernando Ma. Guerrero Elementary School
Pedro Gil St., Paco, Manila

Name: ______________________________________ Date: ______________________

Lesson: Detect Biases and Propaganda Devices

Activity 3: Read and understand carefully the directions:

Mark a check (/) in each item that contains bias.

1. Shoppers in the cat food section at a supermarket are asked to choose the best dog food.

2. Parents are asked, “Should we develop hand-eye coordination in our children by teaching them
how to play computer games?”

3. Should students have fun walking their dogs after school or should they be doing boring
assignments?

4. The city must decide whether to pass a leash law. It will survey some people who own dogs and
some who does not have a pet.

5. A random group of families with children and random group of people without children are
asked of the town would build a new playground.