Swiss Propaganda Research’s “Propaganda Multiplier”
The “Propaganda Multiplier”
“How Global News Agencies and Western Media Report on Geopolitics: A
Study by Swiss Propaganda Research” translated by Terje Maloy
2016 / 2019 https://swprs.org/the-propaganda-multiplier/
Excerpt (Editing for presentation)
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ower over “The Press”
Traditional media — “… predominantly financed by advertising or the State—
represent the geopolitical interests of the transatlantic alliance, given that
both the advertising corporations as well as the states themselves are
dependent on the transatlantic economic and security architecture [NATO, IMF,
World Bank] led by the United States.”
“‘News media are instruments of those who exercise political and
economic power.… Newspapers, periodicals, radio and television stations do not
act independently, although they have the possibility of independent exercise
of power’” (a former AP journalist).
Big 3
Most of the international news coverage in Western media is provided by
only three global news agencies:
- Associated Press (AP) (headquarters New York City)
- Agence France-Presse (AFP) (headquarters Paris, France
- Reuters (Thomson Reuters) (headquarters New York City)
Language Fluency Zero
Many major news organizations in Washington, New York, and London have
no Arabic language speakers “or at least not enough to be able to have a
conversation in it or to follow the local media teams” (and are) usually “dependent
on assistants and translators.”
From the ground almost none
Only one correspondent is stationed in “huge countries such as China or
India”; two journalists cover South America; and no journalist is “on the
ground … in even larger Africa.”
Media organizations rarely have their own foreign correspondents, “so
they have no choice but to rely completely on global agencies for foreign news.”
“In war zones, correspondents rarely venture out.”
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ire Dependency and Consequences
…Dependency on the global agencies creates a striking similarity in
international reporting: from Vienna to Washington …, media often report the
same topics, using many of the same phrases—a phenomenon … otherwise … associated
with ‘controlled media’ in authoritarian states.
“News is a conveyor belt in a
bread factory” with correspondents standing “at the end of the conveyor belt,”
pretending they have baked the loaf of bread when in fact they have merely put
the bread “in its wrapping.”
The “typical correspondent” is generally unable “to do independent
research, but rather deals with and reinforces those topics that are already
prescribed by the news agencies – the notorious ‘mainstream effect’.”
“Dependence on global agencies is a major reason why media coverage of
geopolitical conflicts is often superficial and erratic, while historic
relationships and background are fragmented or altogether absent.”
…Dominance of global agencies explains why certain geopolitical issues
and events – which often do not fit very well into the US/NATO narrative or are
too ‘unimportant’ – are not mentioned in (MSM) media at all: if the agencies do
not report on something, then most Western media will not be aware of it.”
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R, Passivity, Propaganda
“Low journalistic performance of media” and “high dependence on a few
news agencies” makes it “easy for interested parties to spread propaganda and
disinformation in a supposedly respectable format to a worldwide audience.”
Media entities “help the … military determine public perception and use
it for their plans” (a veteran correspondent).
The method used by media and the U.S. military to spread information “makes
it impossible for readers, listeners or viewers to trace the original source.”
“Intelligence services also have a large number of direct contacts in media,”
to which they can, “if necessary, ‘leak’ information.”
The Propaganda Multiplier
- Governments
- Military services
- Intelligence services
- …using global news agencies to disseminate their messages to a worldwide audience
“Through this ‘propaganda multiplier,’ dubious stories from PR experts
working for governments, military and intelligence services reach the general
public — more or less unchecked and unfiltered.”
As sources used by major media in London, Washington and New York (e.g.,
“‘military circles,’ ‘anonymous government officials,’ ‘intelligence officials,’
and the like”) are hard to verify, such unverifiable entities can use media “for
the dissemination of propaganda.”
Sources
https://swprs.org/the-propaganda-multiplier/
Swiss Propaganda Research: The Media Research Project - ENGLISH
Swiss Propaganda Research is a research and information project on
geopolitical propaganda in Swiss and international media. List of some of its most
famous works:
- The studies of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, the Swiss Radio and Television, and the three global news agencies
- The media navigator on the geopolitical orientation of German-speaking media
- The propaganda key to the most important media manipulation techniques
- The infographics on media networks in Switzerland, Germany, and the USA
- The analysis of Wikipedia manipulation
- The analyses of the logic of imperial wars and the media information matrix
- The exclusive journalist's report
- Analysis of Russian propaganda
https://swprs.org/
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