Renee Hobbs, Bert Pieters and Silke Grafe offer a workshop/classroom demonstration on contemporary propaganda at the National Association for Media Literacy Education conference in Washington DC on June 27, 2019.

1. Mind Over
Media:
Analyzing
Contemporary
Propaganda
Renee Hobbs
Bert Pieters
Silke Grafe

2. ACCESS THE WEBSITE:
www.mindovermedia.tv
TWITTER
@reneehobbs @MediaWijsBe
@sg_media
#NAMLE19

3. Propaganda & Misinformation are Rising Around the World

6. https://mindovermedia.tv

7. Mind Over Media
https://mindovermedia.tv

9. More than 2,500 examples from 40 countries

10. ACTIVITY 1
Play “The Question Game”
www.mindovermedia.tv

11. Contemporary propaganda activates
intellectual curiosity
Propaganda definitions change in
response to society, media,
technology and culture
Propaganda takes many different
forms depending on the author,
purpose & techniques used to
influence audiences
By expressing opinions, creating and
commenting on propaganda, people
build knowledge and citizenship
skills that advance democratic goals
Preview of Key Ideas

12. After encountering a media text, 2 players face off to maintain a
dialogue composed only of asking questions related to the work.
No declarative statements are allowed. Each player must quickly
continue the conversation by using only questions.
Audience members serve as judges, calling foul for hesitations, non-
questions, trivial/silly questions, or repetition of a previously-asked
question.
LEARNING ACTIVITY
Play “The Question Game”

13. ACTIVITY 1
Play “The Question Game”

14. ACTIVITY 1
Play “The Question Game”
Generating Questions About Propaganda
Improves Comprehension
& Activates Intellectual Curiosity

15. Review and
discuss
definitions of
propaganda and
then compose
your own
definition using
remix practices.
LEARNING ACTIVITY
Defining Propaganda

16. Is it propaganda?

17. …the relationship
between propaganda
and information is fluid
and varies according to
context and use”
-Auerback and Castronovo, The Oxford
Handbook of Propaganda Studies, 2013
Is it propaganda?

18. Propaganda is in the
eye of the beholder
Is it propaganda?

20. Notice
similarities and
differences
between
three types of
propaganda on
a single topic
LEARNING ACTIVITY
Compare and Contrast Propaganda

25. Notice similarities and differences between
three types of propaganda on a single topic
LEARNING ACTIVITY
Compare and Contrast Propaganda

26. Where is Propaganda Found?
Advertising
Activism
Journalism & Public Relations
Government
Education
Entertainment

27. Hoaxes
Parody/Satire
ACTIVATE STRONG
EMOTIONS
ATTACK OPPONENTS
SIMPLIFY INFORMATION
RESPOND TO AUDIENCE
NEEDS
Techniques of Propaganda

28. LEARNING ACTIVITY
Annotate Propaganda Memes
TEAM 1 – Americans
TEAM 2 – Brexit
TEAM 3 - Putin
Discuss the meme with your team
members and then answer these
questions:
1. What is your interpretation of
the meme’s meaning?
2. What facts, information or
background knowledge could be
useful in interpreting the
meme?
3. What questions does this meme
raise for you?

29. LEARNING ACTIVITY
Annotate Propaganda Memes

30. LEARNING ACTIVITY
Annotate Propaganda Memes

31. LEARNING ACTIVITY
Annotate Propaganda Memes

32. LEARNING ACTIVITY
Annotate Propaganda Memes

33. Message: What is the nature of the information
and ideas being expressed?
Techniques: What symbols and rhetorical
strategies are used to attract attention and
activate emotional response? What makes them
effective?
Means of Communication & Format: How did
the message reach people and what form does it
take?
Environment: Where, when and how may
people have encountered the message?
Audience Receptivity: How may people think
and feel about the message and how free they
are to accept or reject it?
CONTEXT

34. Student-Created Example
COM 416, University of Rhode Island

35. Student-Created Example
COM 416, University of Rhode Island

36. Student-Created Example
COM 416, University of Rhode Island

37. Students Create Propaganda
MAUI WAENA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL, Kahului HAWAII

38. Contemporary propaganda activates
intellectual curiosity
Propaganda definitions change in
response to society, media,
technology and culture
Propaganda takes many different
forms depending on the author,
purpose & techniques used to
influence audiences
By analyzing & creating propaganda,
people build knowledge and
citizenship skills that advance
democratic goals
Review of Key Ideas

39.  Propaganda gives people feelings of being involved in
something larger than the self
 Propaganda promises a remedy for loneliness by making
us feel emotionally attached to beliefs, opinions & ideas
 By simplifying, propaganda protects us from the chaos of
too much information
 BUT because propaganda cannot deliver on its promises,
alienation can be increased and dissatisfaction can be
amplified
---inspired by Slavoj Zizek and Jacques Ellul
REFLECTION ON THE PARADOXES OF PROPAGANDA

40. Teach the
Power of
Propaganda
forthcoming book, W.W. Norton, 2020

41. All That We Share - Denmark

42. FRIDAY, JUNE 28
International Roundtable
Newseum, 8th floor Conference Center
2:15 – 4:15 pm
TEACHING AND DISCUSSING PROPAGANDA
FROM A CROSS-NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Silke Grafe & Renee Hobbs

43. Renee Hobbs
Director, Media Education Lab
Harrington School of
Communication and Media
University of Rhode Island USA
Email: hobbs@uri.edu
Twitter: @reneehobbs
www.mediaeducationlab.com
Bert Pieters
Mediawijs Belgium
www.mediawijs.be
Email: Bert.Pieters@imec.be
Twitter: @MediaWijsBe
Silke Grafe
University of Wuerzberg Germany
www.schulpaedagogik.uni-
wuerzburg.de/
Email: silke.grafe@uni-wuerzburg.de
Twitter: @sg_media