The technique, of spinning a few uncorroborated stories from anonymous people to cast doubt and confuse the issues rather than reveal the truth, is one of the main methods of propaganda It is the preferred method of information distribution of Fox News, Karl Rove, and the Koch brothers.. As an example, take the issue of global climate change. Even though the vast majority of scientists agree with the thousands of research papers that conclude that unchecked emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere will lead to catastrophic atmospheric effects within 50 years, Fox and the Koch brothers chose to use only the published papers of the one lone voice who pooh-poohs this view. This is what the oil industry did in the 70s when it became clear that the tetra-ethyl lead additive to gasoline was polluting the atmosphere with deadly lead. They hired a scientist who concluded that all other research was wrong and that nothing unusual was going on and then they broadcast this information continuously. Sowing the seeds of doubt rather than clarifying the issues is the hallmark of propaganda and not journalism.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 17:35:59 +0000
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