Propaganda: Coronavirus Misinformation
Propaganda in the media is a form of strategic communication that distributes information with the direct purpose of promoting a certain point of view. An example of contemporary propaganda is during the height of the coronavirus pandemic when disinformation about the virus was circulating in media sources. President Trump’s initial reaction to the coronavirus and his publicized comments regarding it as a fake virus created by Democrats is the specific example I would like to analyze. When analyzing propaganda, three critical pieces of information must be evaluated: the propagandist, or person who publicizes a certain cause; the purpose of the information being conveyed; and the point of view from which it is being promoted.
In the beginning of 2020, Trump called the beginning of the spread of COVID-19 in the United States a “hoax” created by Democrats to damage his administration and ultimately blamed Democrats for “politicizing the coronavirus” (Tomwfranck). In this situation, information was released by Trump to influence or persuade people that the virus was fake. But what was there to gain? An article by The New York Times states that President Trump suggested that “the pandemic was manufactured by Democrats” likely in an effort to sway US citizens’ votes in the presidential election or the general public feelings toward his impeachment trials (Stolberg). In this instance, the president ultimately intended to persuade people and manipulate their emotions in a way that was desirable to his cause.
Propaganda can be beneficial or harmful based on the culture, time period, and context that the information is released. It is vital to recognize the outside influences and social networks involved that reflect on a person’s participation in the spread of propaganda. In my opinion, in the beginning of the pandemic the American population did not know what to make out of the virus as it was a new proposition. Therefore, people were vulnerable to persuasion by disinformation. The virus became a political issue and seemed to divide people based on who in politics they sided with; moreover, propaganda activated people’s feelings and evoked emotions to support a certain point of view. In a time of uncertainty, his rationality about the virus appealed to many people’s need for answers. Propaganda generally appeals to audiences when it is put forward in simplified terms. Trump also used this opportunity to attack his opponents, in this case the Democrats, which made what he was trying to convey more interesting.
Trump is a great example of how people are persuaded by propaganda because “it can be fun to read (and write) content that is politically incorrect” (Hobbs). As a result, Trump’s presence grew because everything he did was (and still is) open to collective interpretation as a public figure and the ambiguity of the content encouraged people to spread the information. In the media, people’s attitudes, knowledge, beliefs, and values are widely influenced and information is rapidly spread when people post, like, or share content. For example, the way in which “President Trump acted like he is at war with the media instead of Covid-19” furthered public interest and media participation (Stelter). However, it is important to consider that not everyone is the same in what they believe and value; for that reason, we are liable to interpret information differently from one another and what we believe to be beneficial or harmful.
Today, our culture continues to rapidly spread propaganda and create the space for public interpretation on media platforms. Propaganda is a topic that has always been relevant to society yet can be defined in many different ways. At the time, whether it was recognized or not, Trump’s initial response to the coronavirus outbreak spread as propaganda in the form and genre of political entertainment media streamed throughout news sources. In a sense, Trump decided to persuade the entire American population through deception and confusion during a time of uncertainty rather than understanding. In summary, what we can learn from Trump’s spread of disinformation is the importance of evaluating information rather than being emotionally manipulated to choose a side. By recognizing propaganda techniques, we can be more equipped to make decisions and develop critical thinking skills about media messages.
Works Cited
Stelter, Brian. “Propaganda on Full Display at Trump’s Latest Coronavirus Task Force Briefing.” CNN, Cable News Network, 14 Apr. 2020, https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/13/media/propaganda-donald-trump-reliable-sources/index.html.
Stolberg, Sheryl Gay, and Noah Weiland. “Study Finds ‘Single Largest Driver’ of Coronavirus Misinformation: Trump.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 Sept. 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/30/us/politics/trump-coronavirus-misinformation.html.
Tomwfranck. “Trump Says the Coronavirus Is the Democrats’ ‘New Hoax’.” CNBC, CNBC, 29 Feb. 2020, https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/28/trump-says-the-coronavirus-is-the-democrats-new-hoax.html.
