1. Fact-check like there’s no tomorrow
Always, always, always, fact-check the news that reaches you. With the rise of AI and the multitude of platforms and podcasts, anyone, anywhere can become an “expert” or an “analyst” or a “strategist”. Beware of the type of content you follow whether it’s broadcast or on social media. Day by day, it is becoming harder to follow the news without falling for certain fake or contorted news. That’s why, whether you’re looking up the news or researching for academic or professional purposes, you need to remember that every information shared has a purpose. The purpose is to influence, to divert, to distract, to confuse. It has rarely become to only inform, which is why people need to be equipped with tools to overlook propaganda. You need to go beyond expert’s opinion and governments’ decisions for public safety. You must ask why at every turn.
2. Look for Media’s will and ethics
Today, more than ever before, news outlets thrive on misleading headlines, spreading misinformation and truth bending. It is true that some are financed by people in power or people with influence, however, some outlets misinform for views and clicks. Their ethics won’t stop them from diverting and rephrasing news for sales. When you study media ethics, you learn that journalists must respect certain standards and find the line of ethics that shouldn’t be crossed. Nevertheless, the media bend their own rules to be first and at the forefront of reporting. Consequently, jumping on a half information of “breaking news”, “sources claim”, “this just in” feeds propagandist strategies, creates chaos and shapes public opinion.
3. Take off the Western Lens
It may be hard for some to digest, but western governments still apply the same political approach they did in the past: colonialist tactics. Foreign policies of world’s top democracies are shaped with a colonialist perspective. This influence is included in publications, books and academic journals. There has been some rebranding but the product they’re selling is still the same. When you confront yourself with this reality, it’ll be easier for you to see the world we live in today. The whole first world, second world, North-South, developed-developing countries system cannot live in the same context of globalization and international cooperation. And, yet somehow, they do. But how come? Simple: propaganda. The selling point of how these two antagonists co-exist is: how international cooperation can lift developing countries and let them reach their full potential by becoming developed ones. That is not what’s happening, and people need to catch up fast to the ruse. Once the fog is lifted, the actual world order gets clearer.
4. Diversify your research, broaden your horizons
When you get used to the same two or three news outlets whether local or international, it is easier to fall for propaganda. You rely on the same source for everything, you start believing anything they say. To help yourself get out of this same routine, turn this technique into a game. Alongside step 2 – look for media’s will and ethics – pick, from each continent, local and international news outlets (radio, online, broadcast, print, etc.). With limited language skills, perhaps having one, it might be harder to do so. However, in some countries, publications and broadcasts can also be available in English. By picking these news outlets, you’ll end with 10 to 12 sources where you can check daily and weekly, local and international news with multiple perspectives.
5. Check governments’ gains and losses
Politics and economy are too interconnected. In governance, the decisions of one always benefit the other. This is why you need to look up governments’ economic plans and foreign policies. To understand world politics and come up with your own fact-based findings, you need to connect the dots between political interests and economic gains. Strategic governance spins news for well calculated intentions and outcomes. Decision-makers spread news as fast as news outlets. They throw whatever feeds their agenda and see who’ll fall for it. Your critical thinking skills will benefit your goal to see through governments’ own image portrayal and depiction of information.
6. Remember that opinions are not facts
It is undeniable that experts’ opinions are valuable to understand international relations and power dynamics. However, not all opinion pieces, experts’ analysis or podcasts are worthy of our attention. You need to be selective. Experts’ connections and relationships with current and previous government officials, lobbies and associations will influence their opinion and perspective. Propaganda techniques rely on experts’ influence on the audience (readers and listeners) to shape and transform public opinion. That is why you need to dig deeper and read between the lines when you go through an opinion piece or expert analysis. See how it feeds their agenda and sometimes, in all honesty, their pockets. The latter is what influences them the most.
7. Create your own research with fact-checked data collection
Finally, when you go through these steps, you’ll be able to create and stand by your own view of the world, shaped by fact-checked unbiased data collection. With this new lens, you become more confident and critical when you watch the news, read an article or book, listen to an interview, check out experts’ work, etc. By applying these techniques, you’ll be more vigilant to fall for what propagandists want you to see as the truth. Mainstream media as well as academic publications have always been infiltrated by propaganda. Twisted analysis, contorted facts, and softer vocabularies, shift attention from what is truly important and create a herd of followers instead of independent individuals.
Here’s some quick recommendations before you embark on your next quest with these techniques on your belt:
- Read published books and scientific articles from renowned journals (But don’t forget to check out the authors’ background and connections).
- Broaden your knowledge and skills by learning a new language.
- Research in more than one language – it helps you gain access to more data and resources.
- Expose information based on prejudice, financial gains, fundamentalism, fascism, racism etc.
- Educate others about what you learn.