Political Propaganda 1

Political Propaganda
Mikayla Pieper
COMM 3000
Spring 2016

Political Propaganda 2
Political Propaganda
This year, 2016 is a presidential election year. During presidential election years voters
are bombarded with advertisements, propaganda and media about the various candidates and
their stances on the issues. Presidential elections especially are also a time for political parties to
share their views through the candidate they endorse for the election. Voters are constantly
exposed to propaganda through advertisements, speeches and even graphics regulated by the
candidate. Other countries encounter political propaganda and their voters are affected by it as
well. Political propaganda was very popular during WWII, especially in Nazi Germany. Posters
were more commonly used during that time but symbols were very influential as well. For
example the swastika, as well as raising a straight arm and saying, Heil Hitler. The political
propaganda that surrounded the Holocaust blinded the men and women of Nazi Germany to
believe in something so morally wrong. In this election year in particular there has been
correlation between the Trump campaign and that of Hitlers regime. This election is unique
because of strong views and constant political propaganda.
Political propaganda can be very powerful and strategically placed in order to reach
targeted audiences. Propaganda can also be skewed to be invisible but still effective on voters
and the way they think about an issue or perceive a presidential candidate. Many voters have
gone blind to the amount of propaganda that is thrown at them on a day-to-day basis. Going
blind to this political propaganda but continuing to be effected by it is toxic and concerning
while entering a presidential election year. Voters should be held accountable for knowing what
kinds of advertisements and propaganda they are being exposed to them. With constant
connection to media sources and information it is hard to escape the propaganda and is relatively
impossible to escape.

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How does political propaganda/advertising affect society during an election year?
Political propaganda is everywhere and sometimes not seen. The propaganda that is
easily identified and is surrounding voters currently is mottos/sayings that candidates have for
their campaign, such as Make America Great Again. Propaganda that is not as easily seen is the
influence presidential candidates have on voters through speeches at rallies. The way a candidate
speaks is also a form of their propaganda and voters can be blind to that. Good politicians have a
lot of charisma and they all have a specific tone while talking to voters that can influence them
and their decision. Excitement is a key in successful propaganda. If voters are excited and
pumped up, that politicians propaganda is more likely to be retained and remembered. Engaging
society is important as well and can also make a specific candidates ideals and thinking stick
out.
Research
In an article written by Howington (2012) the research was about the beginning of
propaganda and how it has evolved throughout the years. Propaganda has been around as long as
society and governments and was even used in ancient Egypt (Howington). Propaganda no
matter when it is used is a tool to change peoples mind (Howington). It is a form of persuasion
and persuasion is at the heart of a lot of political agendas (Howington). The author explains that
propaganda can be used to make people do things that they would otherwise not agree with, such
as Nazi propaganda that lead to the death of millions of people (Howington).
This article gives a lot of background to propaganda and it also gives a lot of meanings to
the word which makes a reader think more in depth about the concept of propaganda. The way
propaganda is used today is different than how it was used years ago. With the rise of technology,
society is often times fed propaganda without even knowing it. Propaganda is an art that has

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been around for many years and continues to influence the way voters perceive a candidate.
Propaganda is very important in political agendas and is used as a tool to persuade voters to think
a certain way or believe in certain ideals or policies.
The next study showed the positive and negative effects of negative political advertising.
According to Fernandes (2013), the 2012 election the money spend on televised political
advertisements were at an all-time high. Candidates obviously thought this was a good way of
reaching their target audiences. The author then looked into the effects of repetitive negative
advertisements and the effects it had on candidate evaluations. The results showed that repetition
can both harm and help the sponsored candidate (Fernandes, p. 270). The goal of this article is to
show how some voters respond differently to negative advertisements verses other voters.
People react differently to negative political advertisements. The strengths of this article
is that it studies both audiences; people who agree with negative ads and people who dont agree
with them and feel as though they arent effective. Negative advertisements can be useful during
the end of the election cycle and at the end of a candidates campaign (p. 289). If negative
advertising is used too soon or in bulk it can be detrimental to a campaign. Positive
advertisement works well throughout a campaign and casts the candidate in a positive light in the
eyes of society (p. 280). Political advertisements have changed over the years and technology has
taken over the way candidates spread their propaganda.
This scholarly journal written by Weaver, Lariscy, and Tinkham (1999) discussed many
strategies politicians use to defeat their component. Whether that be releasing positive ads about
themselves or negative ads about their components it can all effect the way the election goes
(Weaver, Lariscy, and Tinkham, p. 14). Another strategy used is when candidates inoculate
against a negative attack or ad. This is also known as stealing the opponents thunder (p. 16).

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This tactic isnt used often because the attacked can be put under heat and it can raise potentially
damaging issues (p. 14).
The authors discuss the sleeper effect and how it may effect a candidate and the receiver
of their message. The sleeper effect is found when a message has a delay rather than an
immediate impact on the receivers attitude (p. 19). The sleeper effect was tested during political
campaigns. The negative attack ad was the base message because it is more likely to have a more
powerful initial impact (p. 20). The attacker is then seen as initiating attitude change.
In the study adults were asked to report their vote and are then immediately followed up
and receive a delayed phone call (p. 22). Results showed that the defensive ad following the vote
was initially effective, but over a period of time the impact of the attack ad increased a lot (p.24).
With this being said, attack ads gain strength over time and defensive ads have a short life span
in the eyes of the media and the receiver (p. 25).
This study is similar to the one written by Fernandes. Negative advertisements can be
effective if used at the right time during a campaign. Attacking another candidate through
advertisement is effective for a longer period of time compared to a defense ad that keeps voters
attention for a shorter amount of time. Fernandes researched whether or not negative
advertisements worked on voters in a positive or negative sense and Weaver, Lariscy, and
Tinkham researched the life span of advertisements based on content, so the two articles
complimented each other and had common findings.
In a study written by Chou, and Lien (2013) focuses on the persuasion knowledge model
that looks at how people cope with persuasion attempts. It can show how different people react to
negative and positive propaganda. The authors looked at how negative propaganda effected
people in Asian culture. The candidate was perceived differently depending on the type of

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propaganda that surrounds the image of the person (Chou, and Lien, p. 492). The study found
that negative advertising and propaganda based on rational ideas is more beneficial to candidates
who are lagging in the polls (p. 495). Negative advertisement and propaganda dealing with
emotional appeals result in better responses when used by a candidate leading in the polls (p.
496). They conducted this research by looking at the PKM model and the primary theory.
This research was helpful with the stated research question because it dealt with Asian
culture and how their opinions of propaganda might differ. Asian politics and propaganda are
often a lot different than American politics and society perceives propaganda differently because
of media differences. In order to see exactly how political propaganda works overall, looking at
different cultures is key.
In a study done by Krasno and Green (2015), both professors, was written based on the
2008 presidential election and stated that the use of political advertising through television will
decrease and that political advertising will be seen more online. Times are changing and people
are relying more on the internet for their news rather than the TV (Krasno, Green). They also
stress that political ads are indeed helpful in voter turnout but needed to be altered to a new
generation (Krasno, Green).
Younger generations rely on the internet for news rather than the TV. Getting rid of
television ads all together is not a good idea because older generations who watch TV more often
than use the internet will be a huge target audience missed. TV ads were found effective
according to the authors but as political propaganda grows and evolves so does the way society
receives it. The internet and the resources it offers have flourished and politicians should be
using it to their benefit according to the authors research.

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The next study written by Vidal was to show the difference between wartime propaganda
and its effect on the public and other propagandas not war related. Wartime propaganda has a bad
reputation because of the Hitler regime (Vidal). It was used as a weapon and effected people
greatly and in the way they thought about the new Nazi leadership (Vidal). This author suggests
that today we are exposed to propaganda all the time and dont even recognize the effects it has
on voter and the way society thinks (Vidal). The author also looks at the way propaganda was
used during the Iraq war. Because of the expansion of the media and the journalist who cover
events, there has been a large increase in the amount of propaganda voters are exposed to
(Vidal). In Iraq the U.S. dropped leaflets broadcasts that told the Iraqi people that the Saddam
was to blame for the suffering of the Iraqi people and to not fight the American troops who were
there to help (Vidal).
The strengths of this article are the numerous examples that are provided by the author.
He starts with the actual meaning of propaganda and explains how it was used, how it is used
now and how it will continue to be used. This is helpful while researching propaganda because it
gives a wide variety to observe and look at. Because the media is growing and able to cover
practically any event in any country, war time propaganda has changed as well. Voters are now
more informed when it comes to war time trauma and conflicts but society is also exposed to
more terror and devastation which can be used as a scare tactic for candidates to use as
propaganda.
This scholarly journal written by Mller, Van Zoonen, and Hirzalla (2014) was to show
results from a study done that shows the more the media and people debate and talk about antiIslam propaganda the more accepting and less scared viewers will be when it comes to its fearbased appeal. The authors suggest that the more media coverage the anti-Islam subject gets, it

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could diminish the amount of negative press the issue might get (Mller, Van Zoonen and
Hirzalla, p. 83).
Fitna was released in 2008 and was a Dutch anti-Islam propaganda move (p. 85). The
film showed the Muslim way of life as terrorism filled and showed clips of attacks such as 9/11
(p. 85). This film used the fear appeal and was made to make viewers scared and threatened by
Muslims. Instead the movie did the exact opposite and instead of riots and fights breaking out,
viewers backed up the Muslim community and went to their defense (p. 90). The author shows
that when the media hypes up a hot topic such as this movie it has a decreased effect on the
amount of negative attitudes surrounding the issue (p. 93).
The fear appeal is commonly used by anti-Islam groups but because of the new and
changing outlook on the global religious debate many people are becoming more aware that it is
in fact just a fear appeal (p. 96). This is because of the new generation of propaganda film that
can reach millions of people in a matter of minutes (p. 96).
The authors also talked about the fear appeal and how it plays a huge role in the way
propaganda is projected. The fear appeal started in the health communication arena; for example
smoking ads that show black lungs are to scare smokers (p. 82). In todays media the fear appeal
is everywhere and is specifically being used in the current presidential election. This article
relayed the Dutchs reaction to the fear appeal through the movie Fitna. After looking at this
research and monitoring the U.S. societys reaction to the fear appeal, there are differences in the
reactions of people. The fear appeal is used by Donald Trump in the current presidential election
and has helped him gain a lot of voter support. While leading in the polls and winning most state
primaries, he is using the fear appeal towards Muslims and Mexican Americans. Trump
supporters have reiterated his slander and are biting the fear appeal bait. Candidates even use the

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fear appeal towards each other or the opposing party. Making Democrats fear the Republicans or
Hillary Clinton making voters fear Donald Trump are other examples of the fear appeal
discussed by the three authors.
This purpose of the study written by Al-Ameedi, and Khudhier, (2015) was to identify the
types of propaganda Barack Obama used during his campaigns and the specific types of speech
acts used in the propaganda. The authors looked at the original meaning of propaganda and how
it has transformed over time. In politics, propaganda is often described as a way to manipulate
the mass media (Al-Ameedi, and Khudhier, p. 76). Obama was a very vivid speech giver and
used persuasion, repetition and manipulation when giving his speeches (p. 78). These three
characteristics are at the core of propaganda and are used to effect the audience at a higher level
(p. 78).
The Grices Maxim which was used by President Obama is broken down into four key
concepts. 1. The Quantity Maxim- He was the change they were looking for (p. 80). 2. Quality
Maxim- He was confident that he was the change America needed and wanted (p. 80). 3. The
Manner Maxim- Obama actually broke this rule because he didnt keep his speeches short but
rather said the same words over again (p. 80). 4. The Relevance Maxim- He stuck to one topic
which was change (p. 80).
This was well conducted research because it had a lot of different aspects that contribute
to the propaganda voters consume. There are numerous angles that the research is looked at and
different lenses as well depending on the propagandas origin. The authors could have provided
more information on how propaganda plays/played a role in President Obamas presidency, and
possibly how his propaganda style has changed or stayed the same throughout his term as
president.

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President Obama used very positive propaganda while campaigning. He stood for hope
and change and made his campaign a very positive and inspiring campaign. He didnt use the
fear appeal heavily if at all and he wasnt radical. His campaign was successful and when
compared to current presidential campaigns they differ extremely. This shows that both the fear
appeal and inspiration can be successfully used because propaganda can have very many faces,
positive or negative.
This scholarly article written by Chou (2015) examines the effects of celebrity political
endorsement and how it effects young Taiwanese voters through their attitudes and voting
behaviors. The author targeted young voters because they are more likely to know of the
celebrity endorsement because celebrities are often a big focus in young peoples lives (Chou, p.
523). Young people have been shown to not vote so it would be easier to study whether or not a
celebrity endorsement had a direct effect on them.
According to the two types of celebrities engage in political endorsements. 1.
Traditional/external celebrities such as entertainers and athletes and 2. Political/ internal
celebrities (p. 523). A study found that each type of celebrity endorses a candidate differently
therefore effecting the attitudes of the voters in a different way. Traditional celebrities, especially
athletes have a bigger impact on college students, and movie stars have been found to effect
young peoples opinions of political parties as a whole (p. 523). Another study found that college
aged students are less likely to trust political endorsements from celebrities because young voters
perceive them as less informed about politics (p. 523). Endorsements can also shy some young
voters away from the endorsed candidate.

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Overall this study showed that celebrity endorsements were beneficial for the candidates
and voter attitudes were positively affected. According to the study, Democrat supporters are
more in favor of idol endorsements more than Republican supporters (p. 523).
Because young people often times dont turn out to vote as well as older generations do,
it is important that candidates are reaching out to young people in a method that will catch their
attention. Celebrities are hyped up more as a young adult and are icons to young voters. Using a
celebritys voice will catch the attention of those young voters. The study and research was done
on young people from Taiwan but can translate to U.S. culture as well. Candidates can use
celebrities as part of their propaganda while reaching young voters. This scholarly article was
valuable because of the different angle it took on political propaganda and the age group it
influences through celebrity endorsements.
In a study done by Ulloa, Kacperski, and Fernando (2015), factors such as population
size, geography, mass media, and type of social influence are important in order for cultures to
coexist (Ulloa, Kacperski, and Fernando). Institutions have an impact on cultural diversity. In the
first three studies done by the examiners, they take a look at the effects of institutional influence
and agent loyalty (Ulloa, Kacperski, and Fernando). The author found that the higher the
institutional influence, the less culturally diverse it becomes. If an individual is loyal to their
institution, it has a preserving effect that does not include becoming more culturally diverse
(Ulloa, Kacperski, and Fernando). In three further studies, the examiners studied the effects of
bottom-up and top-down processes of the institutional influence impact. They found that bottomup democratic practices produce convergence towards homogeneity, while top-down
information, such as propaganda, actually increase diversity (Ulloa, Kacperski, and Fernando).
When democratic processes are not often seen, the effects of propaganda are amplified and more

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vivid, this means that more diversity emerges; however, when democratic processes are similar,
they are able to neutralize or reverse the effect of the propaganda (Ulloa, Kacperski, and
Fernando).
The article written by Ulloa, Kacperski, and Fernando is almost counteractive to the
article by Mller, Van Zoonen, and Hirzalla. In the Ulloa and others article they found that
propaganda makes people more diverse, whereas the article by Mller and others used diversity
as a way to separate and care non-alike people. If a voter is loyal to an institution or for example,
party, they are less likely to be susceptible to what the other party has to say. If a voter is not
loyal to an institution then they are more likely to be diverse.
Authors Jang, Yong, and Frederick (2015) look at the differences between China and
North Koreas media and propaganda that is incorporated as well. The Chinese Communist Party
leaders have realized that the media and communication can be used to their benefit in the
pursuit of power (Jang, Yong, and Frederick p.154). Chinas media is run by the government and
all propaganda is released by the government to ensure that the state keeps a certain image in the
eyes of the citizens. In North Korea, propaganda and media are both run by the government for
the same reason but shows the ideals of the supreme leader rather than a party as a whole (Jang,
Yong, and Frederick, p. 154).
Media in other countries affect the way their propaganda is perceived and the way
propaganda is broadcasted. In North Korea propaganda is created by the government and is the
same across the whole country. The propaganda is to show the government in a positive light and
as strong as possible. The propaganda that North Korea relays to the rest of the world is almost in
a fear appeal tactic. They show a lot of pictures of their military and send threatening or hostile
messages to other countries around the world. Their propaganda style is very high and mighty.

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How does political propaganda/advertising affect society during an election year?
After researching political propaganda and advertising it can be concluded that it does
positively and negatively affect society especially during an election year. There is political
propaganda and advertising everywhere although it may not always be belatedly obvious.
Candidates use emotions such as fear and sympathy through their propaganda and it is part of
their personal branding. Propaganda can be positive, such as Obamas presidential campaign.
Hope and change were positive words used in the branding of his image. As a charismatic
speaker, President Obama used that as part of his propaganda. Propaganda can also come across
as hostile or scary, such as Donald Trumps presidential campaign that uses fear in order to gain
followers.
Political propaganda and advertisements are used in various countries and influence their
societies as well. Depending on the country, depends on what kind of propaganda is being
released and by who. Some countries monitor their propaganda and it is regulated by the state
and others have freedom of speech and can say what they want. Although there are differences,
the political propaganda still affects the society it is being spread in.
Society is affected by political propaganda and advertising and it plays a big role in who
they will vote for come November 2016. If negative propaganda is used at the end of a campaign
it is more effective in getting voters to vote in the candidate that bashed another. If negative
advertising is used against another candidate too soon in the campaign then voters are more
likely to agree with the accused because the accusing candidate comes across as a bully. The
strategy behind releasing advertising is well thought out and according to research very
important to the meaning of the message and how it needs to be perceived by society.

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Reaching young voters is an issue that many politicians face. Celebrity endorsements can
be used as propaganda and in advertising to reach young voters. Technology is becoming more
and more advanced and changing the way politicians advertise. Advertisements are geared
around the internet but television ads are still proven effective. Apps now serve as a great
propaganda tool and should be utilized more. Social media has also been a way for politicians to
express themselves and another avenue for advertisements and propaganda.
Research that still needs to be done is on the current presidential election. Looking at the
differences between Hillary Clintons first campaign verses her current campaign. Researching
the difference between the 2008 election and the 2016 will be interesting because the dramatic
changes and controversy surrounding the current candidates. Racial issues as well as gay
marriage, ISIS, and womens rights are all heavily in the news and big topics in this election
compared to the 2016 election. Is it the issues that makes an election more intense or is it the
candidates running and the propaganda they choose to use? Does presidential year propaganda
differ from non-presidential year propaganda and if so, why; because the position is more well
recognized and a bigger deal? The continued research will only open the eyes to many, that
propaganda and advertising are tools used for politicians to get a voter to vote and eventually
elected and can greatly affect society.

Work Cited
A Response To, K., Michael M., F., Paul, F., Ken, G., & Travis N., R. (2015). Understanding the
Effect of Political Advertising on Voter Turnout:.

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Al-Ameedi, R. K., & Khudhier, Z. H. (2015). A Pragmatic Study of Barak Obama's Political
Propaganda. Journal Of Education And Practice, 6(20), 75-86.
Chou, H. (2015). Celebrity political endorsement effects: a perspective on the social distance of
political parties. International Journal Of Communication (Online), 523.
Chou, H., & Lien, N. (2013). The effects of appeal types and candidates' poll rankings in
negative political advertising. Asian Journal Of Communication, 23(5), 489-518.
Fernandes, J. (2013). Effects of Negative Political Advertising and Message Repetition on
Candidate Evaluation. Mass Communication & Society, 16(2), 268-291.
doi:10.1080/15205436.2012.672615
Howington, G. (2012, May 20). Propaganda 101: What You Need to Know and Why.
http://jonathanturley.org/2012/05/20/propaganda-101-what-you-need-to-know-and-whyor/
Jang, W. Y., Yong, J., & Frederick, E. (2015). The framing of the North Korean Six-Party Talks
by Chinese and North Korean News Agencies: communist propaganda and national
interests. Media International Australia incorporating Culture and Policy, 154.
Mller, F., van Zoonen, L., & Hirzalla, F. (2014). Anti-Islam Propaganda and Its Effects: Fitna,
Fear-based Communication and the Moderating Role of Public Debate. Middle East
Journal Of Culture & Communication, 7(1), 82-100.
Ulloa, R., Kacperski, C., & Fernando, S. (2015). Institutions and Cultural Diversity: Effects of
Democratic and Propaganda Processes on Local Convergence and Global Diversity.
Vidal, D. (n.d.). Propaganda is everywhere. http://web.stanford.edu/class/e297a/War Reporting
on the U.S. War in Iraq.htm

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Weaver Lariscy, R. A., & Tinkham, S. F. (1999). The Sleeper Effect and Negative Political
Advertising. Journal Of Advertising, 28(4), 13-30.