Propaganda Techniques

15 techniques in our taxonomy, grouped by category.

Credibility Attacks

• Doubt
  Questioning the credibility of a source or claim without providing evidence.
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• Smears
  Using damaging allegations to undermine a person's reputation.
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Deflection

• Causal Oversimplification
  Assuming a single cause for a complex issue.
• Whataboutism
  Deflecting criticism by pointing to a different issue.
  2 articles

Emotional Appeals

• Appeal to Fear
  Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.
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• Flag-Waving
  Exploiting patriotic or group feelings to justify or promote an action.
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• Loaded Language
  Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
  5 articles
• Name Calling / Labeling
  Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
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Logical Fallacies

• Appeal to Authority
  Citing an authority figure as evidence, even when the authority is not qualified on the topic.
• Bandwagon
  Persuading the audience by suggesting that many people already support the idea.
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• Black-and-White Fallacy
  Presenting only two options when more exist.
• Red Herring
  Introducing an irrelevant topic to divert attention from the original issue.
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• Straw Man
  Misrepresenting an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack.

Rhetorical Techniques

• Repetition
  Repeating a message until it is accepted as truth.
• Slogans
  Using a brief, striking phrase to provoke an emotional reaction.
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