We all know that misinformation and propaganda are flooding the media, and some might even say that everything is propaganda. But most of us trust some sources more than others.

This community is especially concerned with countering propaganda, so I’m curious to hear how you personally decide whether something is propaganda or not.

  • AnarchoEngineer@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    2·
    2 days ago

    Learn mathematics. If something/someone tries to assert the following fallacious syllogism, then it is propaganda:

    1. P implies Q
    2. Q
    3. Therefore P

    If someone/some-organization asserts that a simple correlation means causation—especially in the case of surveys or polls—thats propaganda.

    Hell, a lot of the time the correlation doesn’t even verifiably exist.

    If someone asserts that because the publication/school publishing a paper has prestige, that paper must be well founded and correct, they are using it as propaganda regardless of whether it draws solid conclusions or not.

    The same is, unfortunately, true in reverse. Just because something is a biased source or even a superspreader of propaganda, doesn’t necessarily mean they are always spouting misinformation. Though if the conclusions are sound, you should be able to find a better source than any clearly biased news/journalism organization

    If they cite a paper/study:

    • Ask what the purpose of the paper was
    • Look to see if the article actually draws the same conclusion as the paper or if they omit crucial details/flaws that the researchers mention
    • Ask what department/background the researchers were part of and if that background fits with the research being done
    • Ask what the procedure for data collection and analysis was
      • Compare with standard procedure for similar but non-political experiment(s) to see if the data collection method followed good procedure