Blatant Propaganda Masquerading As Apology

Here is a brilliant piece of propaganda masquerading as an apology by Wayne Ezell “Reader Advocate” for the Jacksonville Times-Union.

I will dissect this for it’s propaganda content. Which if you read the piece I did on Obama’s speech the propaganda devices will leap out at you.

Remember, there are SEVEN propaganda devices:

To get the most out of this post, I suggest you print off the first page and use it as a guide, so you remember what each color stands for.

I will use the colors of the devices above to show where the propaganda, and which device is being used.

1. Color Red: — Name Calling
2. Color Gold: — Glittering Generality
3. Color Blue: — Transfer
4. Color Maroon: — Testimonial
5. Color Tan: — Plain Folks
6. Color Pink: — Card Stacking
7. Color Green: — Band Wagon

The SEVEN propaganda devices used were defined by the Institute for Propaganda Analysis as:

1. Color Red: Name Calling
   — generally used to giving an idea a bad label which is used to make us reject and condemn the idea without examining the evidence.
2. Color Gold: Glittering Generality — associating something with a “Virtue Word” (a word that has several meanings or can mean something good, or bad to the people who hear it but is not quantifiable e.g. freedom it sounds good, makes us feel good, but it means different things to different people.) A Glittering Generality is generally used to make us accept and approve an idea or thing without examining the evidence. Or reject and not approve an idea, or thing without examining the evidence.
3. Color Blue: Transfer — carries the authority, sanction, and prestige of something or someone respected and revered over to something or someone else in order to make the later acceptable; or it carries authority, sanction, and disapproval to cause us to reject and disapprove something the propagandist would have us reject and disapprove.
4. Color Maroon: Testimonial — this can either be telling a story of how someone or something got to this point, or it can be having a respected or hated person say a given idea, action, or person, or group is good or bad.
5. Color Tan: Plain Folks — is the method to make people feel the speaker or group the speaker represents is just like them “one of us” or the speaker attempts to convince his/her audience that he/she and his/her ideas are good because they are “of the people” the “plain folks”
6. Color Pink: Card Stacking — involves the selection and use of facts and half truths and even lies, illustrations, distractions, and logical or illogical statements in order to give the best or worst possible case for an idea, program, person, or product. Just keep piling on “evidence” in his/her favor.
7. Color Green: Band Wagon
   — “Everybody is doing it.” Or at least all of us are doing it. And with this thought and “proofs” the propagandist tries to convince us that all the members of the group we belong to or want to belong to accept his/her program and therefore we must follow the crowd and “jump on the bandwagon”

Bear in mind, several propaganda devices can be combined to make it even more hard hitting.

Now whether or not Wayne Ezell was purposefully utilizing propaganda, or not is only something he knows himself. So I am not making a judgement on his reasons, I AM however… pointing out his biased propagandised piece masquerading as an apology.

The Headline of the Propaganda Piece is…

How letters botched the facts in sensitive Palestinian issue

(name calling) Misinformation, acrimony and a personal attack that could inspire fear for one’s safety, marked a recent exchange of letters to the editor. It was (name calling) typical of fodder for the internet, but a disappointing lapse in the Times-Union’s editing process.

Editor’s note: please notice here that Wayne Ezell rephrased a complaint from Zogby stated in the paragraph below, and another one later on. Why repeat it here?. Why try to inflame passions? Could there be some motivation on Wayne Ezell’s part he is not admitting to? Has he chosen sides?

(glittering generality, name calling, transfer, and card stacking) The exchange began with a narrowly focused op-ed piece by James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute in Washington D.C., in which he called on the U.S. to demand that Israel stop (name calling) harassing Palestinian-Americans as they try to enter Israel with U.S. passports.

(card stacking) Palestinian-Americans are (name calling) routinely forced to surrender passports and required to obtain a Palestinian travel document, Zogby wrote. Some are denied entry or (name calling) subjected to humiliating interrogations, he said, adding that (transfer) he has the support of the State Department, which has issued a travel advisory about the matter.

Editor’s note: Card Stacking ends

There followed a response letter, which Zogby claims was inaccurate, (name calling) a personal attack on him and perhaps even dangerous in that it could incite those prone to hate crimes to seek him out.

Written by Ron Pollard, the letter criticized Zogby for ignoring the fact that terrorists have used American passports to infiltrate Israel. He accused Zogby of “writing denigrating and inflammatory comments about Israel,” and much more.

Editor’s note: Why has Wayne Ezell decided to quote Ron Polland’s accusations but not quote Zogby’s? It appears to be attempting to make Zogby’s claims a matter of fact and cast doubt on Polland’s? Come on Wayne Ezell let’s be fair here. OK? Unless you really want to appear biased.

Editors Note: Card stacking starts here

“Before founding the Arab American Institute, Zogby created the Palestine Human Rights Commission as the propaganda arm of the Palestine Liberation Organization, a terrorist group responsible for murdering thousands, including 11 Israeli athletes, at the 1972 Munich Olympics.”

(name calling) Get the picture?

Editor’s note: Is it really necessary for Wayne Ezell to start name calling, and attacking Ron Polland?

(name calling) “Shame on him,” Zogby said of Polland, a researcher at the University of North Florida (card stacking) who has written several letters critical of Muslims and Palestinians.

(name calling) “This is the kind of bizarre ranting that occurs on a blog,” Zogby said, asking for an apology.

(glittering generality)“When it is in print, it has more merit and it should be viewed differently,” he said. (glittering generality) “I know you have standards. (name calling) Someone didn’t review it carefully.”

Mike Clark, editorial page editor, said he regretted the failure to more carefully screen the letter.

Editor’s Note: Screen a letter in response to an editorial for what? What failure? This is still implying ALL the content of Ron Polland’s letter was wrong, and his opinion is worth nothing. Card Stacking sequence continues…

In fact, what Polland described as the Palestine Human Rights Commission was actually known a the Palestine Human Rights Campaign.

Editor’s note While the words here are not in themselves name calling (trying to get you to reject anything Ron Polland says), the intent at name calling is obvious… “Look! Look! he made a mistake by calling it a commission instead of a campaign! He obviously doesn’t know what he is talking about so anything he says should be discounted.” Note to Wayne Ezell: Do a better job of hiding your personal bias.
Here is a question… is the word Committee the thing Mike Clark was regretful from his “failure to more carefully screen the letter”?

(transfer, testimonial) Co-founded by Zogby in 1976, its initial meeting was in a Methodist church near the United Nations headquarters. Zogby said he left the organization in 1980 and was succeeded by a Presbyterian minister.

(Card Stacking added to transfer) If the Zogby name is familiar, he is the brother of John Zogby, who heads the polling firm, Zogby International, for which James Zogby serves as an analyst. In addition to his advocacy work at the Arab American Institute, Zogby writes columns and appears frequently before Congress and on news programs.

Editor’s note So an organization is set up near the United Nations. Big deal. Does that mean it is legitimate? Does that mean it deserves more respect? There are a lot of deli’s near the United Nations headquarters that were set up there too. Does the location give them more credibility? Is that what Wayne Ezell is saying? If so, it makes no sense. And after Zogby claims to have left he claims according to Ezell… Zogby was succeeded by a Presbyterian minister. So? What’s the point? A religious leader took over his position? Barack Obama’s former minister is a religious person. Does that make everything he says and does good (Rev Wright)? Because Rev Wright is a recognized religious person, does that make everything he does good? During WWII there was a famous Catholic Priest who wrote a lot of articles, columns, was in the news, had a radio show. His name was Father Coughlin. Perhaps you have herd of him. If not, your parents surely have. He was a very famous Nazi sympathizer, and Nazi propagandist who was living right here in the USA. Up in Michigan I believe. So by the standards implied in the sentances above, his speechs and remarks whould not have been questioned either.

Further… “If the Zogby name us familiar, he is the brother of John Zogby, who heads the polling firm, Zogby International” So? Is Ezell implying by being related to someone who has fame suddenly makes everything you say and do beyond reproach, and you should have more credibility?

Regarding the implied assertion that Zogby somehow has more credibility because “Zogby writes columns and appears frequently before Congress and on news programs” Well… zip a dee do dah! John Gotti (the famed former New York mob boss, Sam Giancana, former Chicago Mob Boss) both repeatedly appeared before congress and denied there is such a thing as the Mafia. Cindy Sheehan writes columns and frequently appears on the news. So do a lot of crazy people. So writing a column, appearing on the news, and appearing before congress do not add credibility to what one says.

We are still in Card Stacking mode by Wayne Ezell

(card stacking) Polland insisted on the(name calling) veracity of the things he wrote. Asked to provide references for his assertions, Polland sent links to seven (name calling) partisan Web sites, including ones for the columnist Michelle Malkin. Those sites can be found by entering Zogby’s name on a search engine.

Editor’s note End of Card Stacking sequence

“The blogosphere is the source of truth where people can really find out what is going on,” Polland said.

Editor’s note: And after reading what Wayne Ezell wrote in attacking Ron Polland’s character and his phrasing I can completely understand why he (Polland) feels that way. Do you not?

(band wagon) In a letter supporting Zogby’s view, Jim Baglia said, “A recent letter writer suggested the Zogby and Americans of Palestinian heritage are (name calling added to bandwagon) sympathetic to terrorists.” Polland countered that he said nothing about “American of Palestinian heritage,” nor did he suggest they are sympathetic to terrorists.

(name calling) Indeed he didn’t, not in those words.

Dear Reader, I hope this helps you see and pick out propaganda that is all over the news… whether the “unbiased advocate” realized he/she is being biased and propagandizing or not. Remember… Think Critically find out the facts for yourself. Just because words come from somone of fame, or related to someone of fame, does not mean they are true, unbiased, or should not be questioned. Now days in particular… Question Everything! Take nothing for granted! Verify sources.

In the words of President Reagan “Trust but Verify”

I hope I was able to help you with this posting.

Some notes and insights.

A visit to the Highly Partisian website of the Palestine Human Rights Campaign (the group Zogby co-founded) http://phrconline.org/ uncovered these quotes on their site

Under the “CAMPAIGNS:” section

Boycott Israeli Goods

“We call for mass consumer action, along the lines of the boycott of South African produce during the anti-apartheid campaign. By joining this boycott individuals and organisations can take concrete steps to stand up against the gross human rights violations by the Israeli State.”

“We therefore support:
A boycott of Israeli products
A boycott of Israeli leisure tourism
An end to Australian firms’ investment in Israel
Suspension of Australian government trade agreements with Israel”

Under their section “Human Rights News Feed”

Report: Ethnic cleansing continues in Jaffa 11 May 2008
Israeli forces kill Gaza mother in front of her children 8 May 2008
Gaza improvises under siege 7 May 2008< br />
Gaza death toll, humanitarian crisis escalates 6 May 2008
West Bank village faces slow death 4 May 2008

These along with some “Unbiased” stories like…

Israel shocked by image of soldiers forcing violinist to play at roadblock

Israeli officer: I was right to shoot 13-year-old child

Israeli soldiers accused of tampering with corpses

But I guess stories like these are not partisan… or if they are I guess coming from an organization co-founded by a person who “is the brother of John Zogby, who heads the polling firm, Zogby International… writes columns and appears frequently before Congress and on news programs” they are unqestionably un-biased.

A side note… Ezell has through the voice of Zogby in Zogby’s accusation about how the internet is unreliable Zogby was quoted as saying “This is the kind of bizarre ranting that occurs on a blog,”, Ezell himself said “typical of fodder for the internet,” Now what I do not understand is why after Ezell goes out of his way to question what is posted on teh internet, he ends his column as the Reader Advocate stating “You are invited to comment on my blog at…”

Makes me wonder if his blog is filled with “the kind of bizarre ranting that occurs on a blog,”, or “typical of fodder for the internet,”?

Thank You for Reading!

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