Signs in the text itself
- Strong feelings before facts: fear or outrage first, details later
- A division into us and them, with no names or differences among the people on the other side
- One explanation for all events at once, with no exceptions or chance events
- The source is unnamed: “it is reported,” “it is known,” “according to data” without saying whose
- Attacking the person instead of the claim
- Repeating the exact same wording in different places
The last point is the most practical. If several seemingly independent sources use the exact same wording, they probably are not independent: it is not just the conclusions that match, but the words themselves.
What is missing from the text matters, too. A propagandistic message usually contains no verifiable specifics - dates, numbers with a source, names - because every such detail creates an opportunity for checking.
How it has changed
The old model required control over every source. Once there were too many sources, the goal changed: it became enough to fill the space with contradictory versions so that you would give up and stop trying to sort things out.
That is where the flood tactic comes in. One event is accompanied by several incompatible explanations at once, and none of them has to be convincing: the incompatibility itself does the work.
It is useful to remember the mirror, too. The same tactics appear on every side, and the assumption that “I like this, so it must be true” undermines your ability to spot propaganda faster than any outside interference.
Finish reading in the Miqo app
1 more minute, then a quiz at the end. Find it under “Dark History → Propaganda”
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Sources
- Established signs of propagandistic messages include reliance on emotion, a generalized image of the enemy, a single explanation, a lack of verifiable sources, and verbatim repetition of wording
- the strategy of filling the information space with contradictory versions is described separately