Nonsense in the News–Propaganda at Work

The Nugget:

Pro 18:17  He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him. (KJV)

Pro 18:17  The first to state his case seems right until his neighbor comes to cross-examine him. (GW)

Pro 18:17  You may think you have won your case in court, until your opponent speaks. (CEV)

Pro 18:17  The man who first puts his cause before the judge seems to be in the right; but then his neighbour comes and puts his cause in its true light. (BBE)

 

My Comment:

I have noticed very frequently a pattern of language use that reflects the propaganda technique and  logical error of “poisoning the well.”

I said in a recent post that I believe I can detect propaganda (in contrast to real news) by the emotive language writers use.

Here are some examples:

from MSNBC:

HEADLINE: “Trump’s biggest liars will have to convince a jury that they were just kidding,” by Jessica Levinson.

LINK: Trump’s biggest liars will have to convince a jury that they were just kidding (msn.com)

OPENING PARAGRAPH:

A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that a major defamation case against key boosters of former President Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud can continue forward. This is a win not just for the plaintiff, Dominion, a corporation that sells voting machines and software, but also for the American public. It’s looking increasingly like defamation suits could be our best bet for holding election conspiracy theorists accountable and for deterring future false claims of election fraud.

MY CRITICISM:

It looks to me like the federal judge ruled without examining the evidence. I suspect the article author is guilty of failing to examine the evidence likewise.

Notice the author’s use of prejudicial language in her assertion about:

key boosters of former President Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud

To make the judgment that President Trump made false claims of election fraud you must provide the proof that substantiates your claim. As usual, such proof is lacking.

SECOND PARAGRAPH:

The defendants in the case are Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani, attorneys who promoted falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election, and Mike Lindell, founder of MyPillow and a frequent peddler of election conspiracies. All three are now stuck defending themselves against Dominion’s defamation suit thanks to the judge’s decision not to toss the case as they requested.

MY CRITICISM:

Note the prejudicial wording “attorneys who promoted falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election.”

I have followed the work of Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani carefully. They most certainly have direct evidence of election fraud carefully attested in signed affidavits from the election workers and observers who were witnesses to the facts they affirm. So far, judges and courts have refused to examine the evidence and rule on its validity. What are they trying to hide?

Sidney Powell is one of this nation’s top attorneys. To besmirch her character and reject her evidence is a sign of extreme failure to practice law in a constitutional manner. Again, what are they trying to hide?

Notice that judges are quick to toss any cases brought by Sidney Powell but seem most reluctant to toss any cases brought against her.

I believe this article’s author displays utter bias when she refers to Mike Lindell as “a frequent peddler of election conspiracies.”

Perhaps, if the legal process proceeds as it ought, the process of discovery may permit actual evidence to be seen and carefully considered. Maybe then we will learn for sure what actually happened during the week of November 3.

I have carefully read the remainder of this article, but the above examples of the author’s use of language that prejudicially “poisons the well” are enough to make my point clear.

from salon

HEADLINE: Mike Lindell shares details of alleged “attack” during cyber symposium photo-op

LINK: Mike Lindell shares details of alleged “attack” during cyber symposium photo-op (msn.com)

AUTHOR: Brett Bachman

This article is quite objective in its use of language. But notice the following paragraph:

Though the predicted Aug. 13 “reinstatement day” has now come and gone without any evidence to prove the widespread election tampering Lindell alleges, the pillow maven is now claiming that the assault he referenced on stage…

MY COMMENT:

Notice the claim made in the statement: “without any evidence to prove the widespread election tampering Lindell alleges…” Once again, to suggest that there is no evidence to support Lindell’s claims reflects the author’s failure to carefully examine the evidence Lindell has shown in his several published video documentaries that show the evidence in some detail. I have watched those presentations carefully.

 

from Insider

HEADLINE: People are posting memes mocking MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s conspiracy-theory-driven ‘Cyber Symposium’

LINK: People are posting memes mocking MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s conspiracy-theory-driven ‘Cyber Symposium’ (msn.com)

MY COMMENT:

Note the biased wording in the article title: “conspiracy-theory-driven”

Note the following statement from the article:

Trump’s “big lie” that Biden “stole” the presidency, which Lindell and many other Trump allies have promoted since the election without evidence, is tied to the insurrectionists who stormed the US Capitol on January 6.

Note the expression “without evidence.” Failure on the part of the article writer to examine the evidence hardly justifies the use of his or her mistaken claim “without evidence.” Such language is not the proper language of legitimate journalism, but of propaganda.

 

from MSNBC:

HEADLINE: GOP lies about election, Covid threaten democracy

LINK: GOP lies about election, Covid threaten democracy (msn.com)

Note the following statement:

NBC News reporter Ben Collins joins Ali Velshi to discuss how crazy conspiracy theories about election fraud and vaccine hesitancy are “dovetailing with the mainstream of the Republican Party” and how to confront the reality and the cynicism at the root of “one dog whistle that Donald Trump perfected.”

MY COMMENT:

I think it is readily apparent that if this is “news reporting” I must say “your bias is showing.”

 

from Business Insider

HEADLINE: Mike Lindell said his cyber symposium would prove voter fraud. One cyber expert said it was just full of ‘random garbage that wastes our time.’

LINK: Mike Lindell said his cyber symposium would prove voter fraud. One cyber expert said it was just full of ‘random garbage that wastes our time.’ (msn.com)

AUTHORS: Zahra Tayeb, Grace Dean

Note the following statement from the article:

A staunch ally of Trump, Lindell has been a superspreader of conspiracy theories about the election being “stolen,” despite no evidence of voter fraud.

MY COMMENT

Seems like I’ve heard this claim before about “despite no evidence of voter fraud.” The authors and the sources they have quoted have apparently not been looking in the right places so they have not found any evidence.

I did not attend Mike Lindell’s conference. I watched small portions of it, however. I found the presentations of the experts I saw to be quite compelling.