Disinformation - The manipulated information

Time and again, news emerges that turns its own worldview on its head. That's what happened to me, for example, when I learned that John F. Kennedy was actually murdered by the CIA and Princess Diana on behalf of MIT. I was no less appalled that the Americans developed the HIV virus in CIA laboratories and that their moon landing was just a cinematic masterpiece by NASA. But when I learned that Michelle Obama is really a man - as a popular youtube video clearly and scientifically proves - my world was completely upside down.

Even the Russian intelligence services are the American for nothing. Finally, at a secret base in Siberia, they train children in extrasensory perception so that they can then use their minds to kill people anywhere in the world.
A crazy world, you can not just come to this conclusion if you search on the Internet for "conspiracy theories".

Global disinformation

In addition to economic constraints, it is also targeted disinformation and propaganda strategies of political elites, which instrumentalize mass media for their own purposes and noticeably shape world politics. In doing so, they skillfully place their preferred narrative on a specific topic in the mass media and thus also in the consciousness of the people. Thus, the great conflicts of these days have become no less dangerous information wars, which make them hardly manageable for readers, but also for journalists. Disinformation is used in many areas of politics and economics targeted to gain support for specific concerns. For example, secret services often have their own departments for the falsification and dissemination of information.

Insights into this practice are by nature rare. All the more deserves the personal report of the former British diplomat Carne Ross attention, on the 23. December 2015 was released in the "time". It begins in the 1990 years when Ross, on behalf of his government, co-negotiated economic sanctions against Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein at the United Nations and the Western world forced him to prove that he no longer possessed weapons of mass destruction: "We did so, although my government did was that Saddam Hussein's weapons were no longer a threat ". According to him, the sanctions served exclusively to keep Saddam from rebuilding Kuwait after his attack on his army with money from oil sales. "We have literally denied evidence of the suffering of the civilian population and silenced anyone who questions the sanctions." He even checked Kofi Annan's comments: "I edited the reports of his office before they were published. Annan "said" what we wanted. "His conclusion from this episode:" They completely destroyed a highly developed country. "

Disinformation calls for victims

In this way, targeted disinformation has succeeded in convincing the American public, as well as the US Congress and Allies, that Iraq possesses dangerous weapons of mass destruction that pose an imminent danger, which in turn can only be met by a military invasion , Today, the US may attribute itself to a futile, tainted war with over 200.000 dead and a rat tail on further escalations. The death toll from the famous "war on terror" is estimated by the civil society initiative Iraq Body Count (IBC) at 1,3 million. Experts also believe that another half million children under the age of five have died as a result of economic sanctions. Among other things, since the import of chlorine for drinking water treatment was affected by the sanctions. The historical verdict on this tragedy is therefore far from being spoken.

However, the total information anarchy prevails on the Internet and in social networks. Since it is all about media in which source, sender, information and image can be easily manipulated, and the information and truth content of the messages spread here is not low enough to estimate.
This phenomenon is also preoccupying the Public Relations Association Austria (PRVA): “Since questionable PR practices are increasing, especially in the area of ​​social media, the PRVA Council accepted three new members in autumn 2015 who are dedicated to precisely this topic. The PR Ethics Council has also published communication principles for working with social media - as an orientation aid for PR professionals ”, says Susanne Senft, President of PRVA. Nevertheless, the consequences of this information anarchy are not insignificant. They not only unsettle the local population, they increasingly build enemy images and polarize society. Disinformation.

The right-wing populist pattern

This art is understood above all by contemporary right-wing populists. Linguist Ruth Wodak speaks in her book "The Politics of Fear. What Right Wing Populist Discourses Mean "(Sage, London) of the so-called" Perpetuum mobile of right-wing populism ". By this she understands a certain pattern according to which right-wing populist politicians systematically and instrumentalize the media: the first step is provocation. A poster appears whose text or subject is perceived as a provocation. This is followed by a wave of outrage, with which the first goal is reached: one is in the headlines.

Then it goes into the second round: The indignation is growing and someone reveals that the claim on the poster is a lie. The third step follows: The authors of the message turn the tables and present themselves as victims. Suddenly there are masterminds, or a conspiracy against them.
If then the other side reacts and turns on courts, one apologizes proforma.

However, according to Professor Wodak, the essence of this strategy is that one binds the energies of others: "Instead of setting their own themes and presenting their programs, the other parties are forced into the position of the respondent by this staged escalation. Instead of doing politics, they are chasing after the events, "said Wodak in the German weekly magazine" Die Zeit ".

Political success through disinformation

This strategy seems to be very widespread and extremely successful on the social network. According to politometer.at, an Internet platform that analyzes the presence and performance of individual politicians, political parties, NGOs and political journalists in social networks, the local FPÖ politicians are clearly in the lead. Among the "most socially active" top 5 politicians in the country are three (HC Strache, H. Vilimsky, Norbert Hofer) to the FPÖ. And at the same time the Facebook group "FPÖ Fail" is struggling to systematically investigate the countless false reports of the FPÖ. A closed circuit, then.

Refugees: Mood tipped deliberately

In fact, it has succeeded in this way, to tilt the mood against refugees in the social media significantly. The book author, journalist and blogger Jakob Steinschaden, for example, took a closer look at the social news charts of the Austrian start-up storyclash.com. These charts evaluate the Facebook interactions of all major Austrian online media and blogs. According to this, a big trend has been taking place on Facebook over the past few months, reflecting the mood in Austria: "In June, July and August, 2015 received the most likes and shares for those with a positive connotation regarding the refugee issue the sheet turned now. Since September 2015 received the reports, which have a rather negative connotation on the refugee issue, more popularity and thus reach on Facebook, "said Steinschaden.

The "lying press"

Examples of false reports can be found in the social network en Masse and the refugee house is ideal for this. For example, Facebook messages such as "Refugees buy only the most expensive iPhones on account of Caritas", or they get "3.355,96 Euro a month for doing nothing", enjoy special popularity. Also the particularly popular "lying press" accusation, according to which crimes committed by refugees, would be regularly covered up by the media and the police, should be mentioned here. All these reports turned out to be completely (in) groundless on closer investigation.

Tips

Yassin Musharbash, a German journalist and writer, recently stated that "we receive most of the information we have about the Islamic State's actions and ravages from the Islamic State itself." His strategies against disinformation are:
- Research
- Independence
- Transparency

Doris Christina Steiner, a member of the Austrian Public Relations Ethics Council, recently noted that her media consumption is increasingly determined by the Facebook algo- rithm. Their strategies against disinformation in social media are:
- Check if this is an established media brand.
- Pay attention to "verified accounts". These guarantee that the message actually comes from the designated person or institution.
- Take a look at the imprint to see where the author is to be assigned.
- Subscribe to media apps from quality media and use them directly.

Udo Bachmeier, President of the Association for Media Culture, points out: "Anyone who does not ask for the source at all makes the first mistake. Who does not ask about the quality of the source, the second ". His tips:
- News agency information is more trusted than websites and blogs.
- Exaggerations Facts without reference should be checked carefully.
- Basically, the closer to the original source, the better.

"Social" advertising platforms

However, the problem is that social media are no longer just about socializing and nurturing social contacts. They have become powerful advertising platforms and news portals. According to an IAB study, 73 percent of Austrian internet users are now following the day's events on the Internet.

Youth in the net

Young people take on a special position in Internet consumption: they spend an average of more than five hours a day online, according to a study by the association Media Server.
Walter Osztovics, Managing Partner of Kovar & Partners, took a close look at the media usage behavior of Austrians and last year carried out a study on the future of the media. In his opinion, young people are particularly at risk from disinformation and propaganda on the social network. According to him, the media usage behavior of adolescents is primarily a class problem: “Adolescents from parents with an educational affinity continue to gather information from print and online newspapers. Young people who grew up with a lack of education increasingly refuse to receive information from traditional media ”. As a result, Osztovics sees the danger that "a whole generation will lose political interest, orientation and discourse ability", unless there is a clear offensive in the field of education and media education.

The info bubble

In addition to the targeted manipulation of information, experts also see information selection in the social network as very critical, Walter Osztovics concludes from his study: "It leads to an ever closer view of the world. What does not correspond to one's own opinion or interest is no longer perceived. All around the user, a filter bubble is created, in which he sees only that part of the world that confirms it in the status quo ".

But the role of economic interests can hardly be overestimated. According to Ksenia Churkina of the research group Media Change at the University of Salzburg, the dissemination of information in social media follows economic laws in particular: "Social networks are creating new framework conditions for disseminating information and forming opinions. They have established themselves as new gatekeepers for the dissemination of news and opinions in society. Their framework conditions determine boundaries, forms and contents of the communication. Thus, a Facebook algorithm determines the edge rank, which messages a user gets to see through his news feed. "

What is the conclusion of this prevailing information madness of our day? "Do not believe everything that is written," in our opinion, does not go far enough, given the many-sided and subtle manipulation strategies. Our recommendation is to keep our nerves and common sense, to listen to Noam Chomsky's "Ten Best Manipulation Strategies" and to take our "Expert Tips against Disinformation" to heart in media consumption.

Medial manipulation

Noam Chomsky's Ten Strategies for Media Manipulation (translated and shortened)

1. The distraction strategy
The core of social control. At the same time, the attention of the population is diverted from essential social and societal problems by being flooded with insignificant information.

2. Create problems and then deliver the solutions
It creates a problem that triggers a certain reaction in the population. For example, cause bloody conflicts, so that the population accepts security regulations and measures that limit their freedoms. Or: trigger an economic crisis and thus create acceptance for the essential reduction of social rights and public services.

3. The gradual strategy
Gradually, over the years, gain acceptance for the unacceptable. In this way socio-economic framework conditions (neoliberalism) were enforced in the 1980er and 1990er years: the "lean state", privatizations, precarious and flexible working conditions and pay, unemployment.

4. The delaying tactic
Present unpopular decisions as painful and inevitable. Since a future victim is easier to cope with than an immediate one, it creates acceptance for its later implementation.

5. Talk to the masses like toddlers
Most public appeals use language, arguments, people, and even intonation, as if the listeners were small children or mentally impaired. Why? This also tends to suggest a reaction that corresponds to this age and is free of critical questioning.

6. Use emotion rather than reflection
Exploiting emotional aspects is a classic technique for bypassing rational considerations and a person's critical mind. In addition, it opens the door to the unconscious of a human being.

7. Save public ignorance and mediocrity
Here it is the control of the public and their inability to understand these control techniques, preserve. Therefore, the quality of education for the lower social strata must be as mediocre as possible. Thus, the knowledge differences between the layers remain insurmountable.

8. Help the public to be content with mediocrity
Convince the public that it's cool to be stupid, vulgar and uneducated.

9. Strength the self-doubt
Convince people that they are to blame for their misfortune and that it is primarily due to their lack of intelligence, ability or effort. Instead of rebelling against an economic system, they are struck by self-doubt, guilt and depression.

10. Get to know individuals better than they do themselves
Through new insights in biology, neurobiology, and applied psychology, "the system" has acquired a sophisticated understanding of human physiology and psychology. As a result, it can also exercise greater control and power over individuals than they do about themselves.

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