Propaganda, Truth, and Critical Thinking

Paper Summary:

The paper defines propaganda and discusses how advertising and media reports use propaganda to sell products or create sensationalism. The paper looks at advertising, and describes how effective copy needs to influence people using one of the five great motivators - fear, exclusivity, guilt, greed, and the need for approval. The writer further discusses how critical thinking is important because it can be used to identify the tools that advertisers are using and determine the truth behind the propaganda. The paper concludes with an examination of the news media and how the media is interpreting events and creating meaning, not the individuals watching or reading the news report.

From the Paper:

"This persuasiveness is the reason it should be assessed to determine what the truth is. Another reason that advertising should be considered critically is that it often works by appealing directly to the emotions. Pratkanis & Aronson (1991, p. 93) describe how this occurs through the "manipulation of symbols and of our most basic human emotions." A textbook on how to create effective advertising copy provides further insight on the topic."

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