Moral Skepticism

Moral Skepticism

The belief that it is not possible to make objectively valid moral judgements.

Moral judgements are ______ and _____?

intuitive, obvious

Who took the falling man image from 9/11?

Richard Drew

Kant’s Categorical Imperative

Consider what would be the result of everyone acting the same way they themselves wish to act.

Principle of Utility

The greatest good for the greatest number of people

What is propaganda?

Sponsored information that uses cause and emotion-laden content to sway public opinion and behavior in support of the source’s goals

Propaganda must utilize ___ ____. Therefore, rumors or word-of-mouth is not technically propaganda.

Mass media

Propaganda is always what?

Deliberate

Father of PR

Edward Bernays

More focus should be placed on the _______ behind propaganda, rather than the propaganda itself

intention

Propaganda is ethically ______

neutral

What can make society more susceptible to propaganda

bad economic conditions, war, general uncertainty and vulnerability

Science of democracy

The strategy of delivering propaganda through mass media to use its knowledge for good rather than evil and save democracy rather than destroy it

Example of propaganda in Ancient Rome

Augustus presented himself as the military commander, the statesmen, and the peace bringer and keeper through statues across the empire.

Mass Media

Radio, TV, Cinema, Social media

Father of psychology and psychoanalysis

Sigmund Freud

Collective mind

Crowd can be more aggressive than the individual because of anonymity, contagious act, and suggestibility

The crowd is easily influenced by ____, ____, and ____

Affirmation, repetition, contagion

Affirmation

Simple messages free of reasoning and proof

Repetition

Incessant repetition makes the inconceivable seem like fact

Contagion

Messages can spread like a virus

WWI years

1914-1918

When was the birth of modern propaganda

WWI

WWI ______ levels of popular interest and participation in the ______ __ ___ _____

Increased, affairs of the state

The gap between the solider and the civilians at home was (widened/narrowed) during WWI compared to previous wars

narrowed

Why was Propaganda so important in WWI?

In a state of total war, which required civilians to participate in the war effort, morale came to be recognized as a significant military factor.

Propaganda emerged as the principal instrument of control over public opinion and an essential weapon in the national arsenal.

British Propaganda against the Germans in WWI

The huns

What strategies did Britain use to propagate “the Hun”

Stereotyping and identification of an enemy

The Significance of the Hun

Huns were linked with barbarian invasion and destruction

Germany was depicted as an unprovoked aggressor

How was the Hun propoganda spread and used to make money?

Atrocity stories and inflammatory images of the hun were used to raise money to pay for the war efforts through war bonds

“Atrocities of the hun” images

Photos of handless babies, drawings of German soldiers eating hands

Were the atrocities of the hun real?

NO. No evidence was found to back up this propaganda.

Where was the word propaganda first used?

1622 by Pope Gregory XV, when defending Catholicism from the Protestant Reformation

Examples of AI propaganda

“All eyes of Rafah,” AI videos of Biden making transphobic comments, AI videos of Trump hugging Fauci

Propaganda Techniques

Activate strong emotions, simplify information/ideas, respond to audience needs/values, attack opponents

Types of Propaganda: Card Stacking

Focus on the best features and leave out or lie about problems

Types of Propaganda: Testimonials

A well-known person endorses a product or service

Types of Propaganda: Glittering generalities

Uses words or ideas that evoke an emotional response

Types of Propaganda: Transfer

Relates a product to someone or something we like

Types of Propaganda: Plain folks

Uses regular people to sell a product or service

Types of Propaganda: Bandwagon

Asks people to “join the crowd” because everyone else is doing it

Types of Propaganda: Name-calling

Connects a product to something negative

Bad PR examples: Benetton ads in 1990s (condoms, HIV positive, nun/priest share kiss)

Benetton has a history of provocative advertisements that address heavy topics like war, racism, and inequality. Some campaigns receive praise for promoting diversity, while others are criticized for insensitive marketing.

In other words, they use shocking imagery.

Bad PR examples: Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi Ad

Kendall Jenner giving a Pepsi to a cop during a protest was criticized for trivializing social justice movements at the time, such as BLM. Pepsi pulled the ad and apologized.

In other words, don’t be tone deaf.

Bad PR examples: Dolce & Gabbana China Ad

Series of ads of a Chinese woman trying to eat Italian food with chopsticks did not land well. Criticized in Italy and China for being insensitive. Dolce & Gabbana owners apologized and pulled ads.

In other words, who is approving these advertisments?

Silencing Spring Author

Rachel Carson

Silencing Spring

Book by Rachel Carson that instigated the notion that humans may be bad for Earth— spoke out against the use of DDT as a pesticide.

How Silencing Spring wreaked havoc for the agrichemical industry

The chemical industries filed a lawsuit against the book. The industry even paid for negative reviews in many newspapers, and there was even a retaliation book called “A Desolate Year”

Effects of DDT

Worked great as a pesticide and bug repellant, reduced crop loss and insect-borne disease, but also had devastating effects on other wildlife like fish and birds.

A Desolate Year

Parody book in retaliation to Silencing Spring about a year without pesticides where a plague of insects devastates crops and people starve.

Greenwashing

Marketing tactics used by big-name companies to advertise their new “sustainable” products, which are often full of misleading information about how a company’s products are more environmentally sound than they really are

Greencrowding

Hiding in a crowd of other green but vague do-gooders

Greenlighting

Spotlighting a particularly green feature of operations/products to draw attention away from environmentally damaging activities being conducted elsewhere

Greenshifting

Implying that the consumer is at fault and shifting the blame

Greenlabelling

Calling something green, but closer examination reveals this to be misleading

Greenrinsing

Regularly changing ESG targets before they are achieved

Greenhushing

Refers to management boards under-reporting or hiding their sustainability credentials to evade investor scrutiny.

Examples of Greenwashing: Fast Fashion

Overconsumption of water resources for textile production, poor waste disposal, water contamination from dyes and chemicals

Examples of Greenwashing: Lufthansa

Green fares, which will “offset” the carbon emissions of the flight because the company claims the fee will finance climate protection projects.

Examples of Greenwashing: Eni Plentitude

Italy’s main polluter with the government as a majority shareholder.

The Muckrakers

Group of writers and journalists that began to rake the muck and criticize America’s corrupt business practices.

Disclosed the corruption of the linkages between business and government, corporate greed and consequences of this system for common people.

How did the muckrakers spread their message?

Journalism, nonfinction books, cartoons, novels, poetry

Examples of industries that were changed as a result of the muckrakers

Meat/meat packaging, oil companies, and nearly all other corporate leaders

Father of PR

Ivy Lee

Ludlow Massacre

A strike at a Rockefeller mine in Colorado resulted in armed guards coming and killing protesters, women, and children. Ivy Lee helped to revamp their image after this event.

Accident on the Pennsylvania Railroad

In US history, train accidents were simply glossed over and covered up, reporters were kept off scenes, and executives refused to comment.

Lee changed this, and began inviting reporters to the scenes, allowed on-site briefings, distributed fact sheets, and even brought in railroad experts.

True or False: Bernays worked on propraganda for WWI

True

True or False: Lee worked on propaganda for WWI

False

Astroturfing

Deceptive practice of hiding the sponsors of an orchestrated message or organization to make it appear as though it originates from, and is supported by, unsolicited participants

Touches of Freedom Campaign

By Bernays, Big Tobacco wanted to break the female smoking taboo to increase sales. Bernays decided to associate smoking with female empowerment and called up influential women to walk up 5th avenue smoking and notified newspapers and magazines. In a year, the taboo was lifted.

American Breakfast

In the 1940s, Beechnut packing (bacon producer) had experienced plummeting sales, so they reached out to Bernays to help revitalize the industry. He worked with doctors to build up ethos via commercials that said heartier breakfasts were healthier than light ones

Ethics in Advertising

Truth, fairness, and equality at forefront of messaging and consumer experience

What is ethical advertising?

Honest, accurate, and strives for human dignity. Also considers the environments that are chosen for placement and examines potential for bias

Edelman Trust Barometer

Globally deployed survey of the general population that seeks to understand why people hold the views they do

Principles of advertising ethics

Share a common objective of truth and high ethical standards

Personal ethics are paramount in the dissemination of commercial information to consumers

Distinguish advertising, PR, and corporate communications from news and editorial content, both on- and off-line

Disclosure and transparency

Treat consumers fairly

Never compromise personal privacy

Follow federal, state, and local advertising laws

Discuss privately potential ethical concerns

Ethical issues

Advocacy, Accuracy, Acquisitiveness

Advocacy

Advertising is not objective or neutral

Accuracy

Beyond the claims in a message are matters of perception

Acquisitiveness

Accumulating material objects is a problem of our society, but advertisers have the social responsibility to communicate ethically

Advertising key issues: Puffery & Hype

Making exaggerated claims

ex.] “red bull gives you wings”

Advertising key issues: Good taste

Offending groups of people

"Ex.] flip n’ dry hairdyer with bald lady ad

Advertising key issues: Stereotyping

Ex.] Dolce and Gabbana Italian/Chinese ad

Advertising key issues: stealth advertising

Portrayal of product placement

ex.] illegal to wear branded clothing in Italian commercials, nicki minaj beats product placement in old MVs

Advertising key issues: controversial products

Ex.] cigarettes, alcohol. gambling, RX drugs

Behavioral targeting marketing strategy

The tracking of consumer activities online in order to deliver ads targeted to the individual consumer. The controversy is about the gathering of data.

Corporate social responsibility

Companies must act in the best interest of the environment and consumers, and many corporate actions are under increasing scrutiny

Advertising for children

1990 regulations on children’s TV programming in the US requires commercial breaks are clearly distinguished from the programming

ex.] mickey mouse can’t endorse a product on Disney channel

Stephen Glass

Worked as a journalist for the New Republic from 1995-98, was discovered to be lying about many of his pieces

Marcarena Hernandez

A reporter whose work was plagiarized by the NYT. The NYT ended up changing its editorial policy as a result of this disaster, especially emphasizing verification of reporting.

Journalists should:

Take responsibility for the accuracy of their work

Verify information

Use original sources whenever possible

Gather, update, and correct information throughout the life of a news story

Identify sources clearly

Never deliberately distort facts or context

Never plagiarize, always attribute

Characteristics of News: Timeliness

Stressing information and reporting information ahead of competitors

Characteristics of News: Impact

Affect, involve, or interest thousands of readers or viewers

Characteristics of News: Prominence

Even routine events become newsworthy when the involve prominent individuals

Characteristics of News: Proximity

The closer an event is to home, the more newsworthy it becomes to the audience

Characteristics of News: Singularity

Deviations from the norm are more newsworthy

Be Reluctant to Publish: Offensive details

Avoid grisly photos or bloody details

Be Reluctant to Publish: Sensationalism

Is a scandalous story newsworthy? Does the public need this information? Will this story harm the people involved?

Be Reluctant to Publish: Rumors

Rumors must be investigated. If rumors are not true, there is no story.

Be Reluctant to Publish: Rape

Do not publish victim name unless they want to be mentioned

Accuracy in Facts

Mistakes hurt the reputation of reporters and of the news organization