Michael Yao Wodui Serwornoo Index Number: 7100330048 Course: Theories of Human Communication (COM 508) Question: Talking

point #3 The review of my last weeks lecture touches on propaganda. Regardless of the nature of its government, every nation is prone to propaganda, especially in times of tension. In his book, Propaganda and Psychological Warfare, T.H. Qualter defines propaganda as the deliberate attempt by some individual or group to form, control, or alter the attitudes of other groups by the use of instruments of communication, with the intention that in any given situation the reaction of those influenced will be that desired by the propagandist. The instruments of communication generally refer to mass media (radio and television in this case), that were used for propaganda are my focus in this review. It is essential to note the features of propaganda to which I shall be measuring some of the radio and TV advert during the 2008 general elections in Ghana. 1. It is deliberate. 2. It aims to control or alter peoples attitudes. 3. It aims to produce predictable behavior by those whose views are altered. Name-calling Propaganda technique links a person or an idea to a negative label. The user of this technique hopes that the negative connotation associated with the name will cause the audience to overlook any available evidence and reject the labeled person or idea. An example of this technique is the use of the label "Communist" or "Commie" by Senator Joseph McCarthy and Congressman Richard Nixon during the Red Scare in the 1950s. Another example of Name-calling propaganda is the idea that former President J.J.Rawlings was going to indirectly rule Ghana if Prof. Mill of the NDC wins the election. This is as a result of the name-calling propaganda the NPP had applied to Mr. Rawlings over many years. Therefore, it became clear according to the NPP strategy that the only thing Mr. Rwalings did as a president for almost 20years was to kill and hypnotize. Ghanaians were no longer interested in violent

rule, at the time, and will resist the emergence of such tendencies. So an advert on Metro TV illustrated a seemingly peaceful man visiting his neighbour for discussion but behind him was a notorious enemy who devours. The NDC also applied Glittering Generality as a form of propaganda during the 2008 Presidential Elections. The Glittering Generality technique is the opposite of name-calling. This technique associates a person or an idea with "virtue words." These words, (such as democracy, right, Christianity, good, proper, patriotism, science) are chosen because of their positive connotation or positive emotional impact. The aim of glittering generality is to influence the audience to accept the person or idea based on the acceptance of the virtue words and not based on the evidence. They associated the then candidate Mills with peace and Christianity. The NPP in the same elections used another form of propaganda known as Testimonial. The testimonial technique is a technique widely used in advertising and in politics. It connects a person, idea, or product to a celebrity, regardless of that celebrity's qualifications to form a good opinion. The propagandist using this technique hopes the celebrity will increase popularity of the product or idea and thus cause its acceptance. The top musician in the country including Nana Ampadu, Kwabena Kwabena, Dady Lumba, and many others endorsed Nana Akuffo Addo, the NPP flag bearer, publicly on TV Shows and rallies. There are a lot more we can apply to Ghanas Presidential Elections in 2008. In conclusion, propaganda is not always bad. It allows for the implementation of healthy winning strategies. References: http://popups.ctv.ca/content/publish/popups/india_pakistan/frameset.html http://adaniel.tripod.com/princely.htm http://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/cshtml/index.html Jhingan, P. 2007, Propaganda and the Information Revolution: The Effect of Communications Technology on War Rhetoric in India and Pakistan. (Unpublished)