How To Analyze Information On Political Campaigns

In order to make an educated, informed decision when you vote, you must first be able to evaluate the information out there. How do you do that?

You do that by analyzing these 4 areas. Evaluating sources Separating fact from opinion Detecting bias Identifying propaganda

1. Evaluating Sources You need to know where the information is coming from. Does it come from a candidate, from a political party, from a non-partisan group, from a newspaper.

1. Evaluating Sources Knowing this helps you in analyzing the other four areas

2. Separating fact from opinion A fact is something that has actually happened or that is true An opinion is a belief based on what someone believes to be true

2. Separating fact from opinion You must look at a piece of information and determine if it is fact or opinion. Sometimes knowing the source will help you do this.

2. Separating fact from opinion A newspaper (unless it says it is a commentary) will most likely report to you facts.

2. Separating fact from opinion A non-partisan source will most likely report facts, not opinions

2. Separating fact from opinion A candidate or party may have both facts and opinions mixed in its material

2. Separating fact from opinion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAKprpl7aPo

3. Detecting Bias Bias is a leaning in favor of or against someone, to be prejudiced towards someone or something

3. Detecting Bias Once you determine the source of your information, you may be able to determine if you need to be on the lookout for any bias

3. Detecting Bias A newspaper generally is not biased. However, many believe that different newspapers have a leaning towards the conservative or liberal point of view

3. Detecting Bias Non-partisan sources by definition try to be as unbiased as possible

3. Detecting Bias By design, information from a political party will be biased towards that party and prejudiced against any other party

3. Detecting Bias By design, information from a candidate will be biased towards that candidate and prejudiced against other candidates

3. Detecting Bias However, these sources sometimes try to appear unbiased ….so be careful!! Break it Up…. http://21cif.com/tutorials/evaluation/bias.swf http://www.laflemm.com/RfT/Practice/RfTPracticeBias.html

4. Identifying Propaganda This is the process of spreading or promoting a particular idea to help one’s cause or to damage an opposing cause.

4. Identifying Propaganda You see propaganda everyday when you see a TV commercial or advertisement in a magazine

4. Identifying Propaganda The problem, it is a little trickier to identify what is propaganda when looking at political advertisements!

4. Identifying Propaganda Generally, you can follow the same guidelines as when you identified bias. Newspapers are generally less prone to using propaganda when reporting news stories.

4. Identifying Propaganda Generally, you can follow the same guidelines as when you identified bias. Newspapers do use a form of propaganda when they publish political cartoons

4. Identifying Propaganda Generally, you can follow the same guidelines as when you identified bias. Non-partisan sources try not to use propaganda at all – they try to be as neutral as possible.

4. Identifying Propaganda Generally, you can follow the same guidelines as when you identified bias. Political parties and candidates will often use propaganda to forward their cause!

4. Identifying Propaganda Knowing the types of propaganda may also help you determine if a source is trying to use propaganda to convince you to believe in their cause.

4. Identifying Propaganda Here are 6 types of propaganda Glittering Generality Card Stacking Plain Folks Name Calling Bandwagon Transfer

Here are 6 types of propaganda Glittering Generality https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s__nHCNT8y8 Use words and phrases that sound appealing and that everyone agrees with. “I stand for freedom and the American way”

Here are 6 types of propaganda 2. Card Stacking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl22YOOCreE Use only facts that support your argument. “My opponent voted against raising social security”. (You do not mention that she voted no because the proposal was too small.)

Here are 6 types of propaganda 3. Plain Folks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOuizLehD2k Tell voters that you are just like them – an ordinary person with similar ideas. “I’ve lived in this city all my life. My children go to the same schools as your children do.”

Here are 6 types of propaganda 4. Name Calling https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud3mMj0AZZk Attach negative labels to your opponent. “He’s soft on crime.”

Here are 6 types of propaganda 5. Bandwagon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhMaUiufjcU Appeal to desire to follow the crowd. “Polls show that more than 80% of voters favor me.”

Here are 6 types of propaganda 6. Transfer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTWEMOtcqyw Connect yourself to a respected person, group, or symbol. “Remember what Abraham Lincoln said…”