About PropwatchThe Propwatch Project is an educational non-profit launched in 2018 to raise public awareness regarding the rapid growth of propaganda and disinformation in the United States. To confront the issue head-on, we address the root cause of today's polarization by deconstructing propaganda one technique at a time.Our goal is to spark critical thinking, undermine logical fallacies, and expose propaganda techniques and disinformation.Propwatch ProjectPWP_d14fe06c-3cc6-11ec-be58-b6bd2183ea00The Propwatch Project is a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit, whose mission is to raise public awareness about the prevalence of propaganda and disinformation in mass media. We do so using a ground-breaking web platform that can catalog and cross-reference embedded video segments, producing the world's first visual database of propaganda techniques.Michael GordonThe database-driven platform behind this website was developed by Michael Gordon, a professor with the College of Computer and Information Technology at St. Petersburg College, Florida. He first conceptualized the platform in 2013, when he envisioned building an online database that could not only catalog large numbers of video segments of propaganda in use, but also be queried to showcase authentic examples of each technique. In February of 2016, software development on the platform began and was completed in August of 2020.Information ConsumersPropwatch.org is a public resource and educational tool for all information consumers; from the general public, to high school educators, to news organizations.EducatorsEducators are encouraged to incorporate the Propwatch platform into their curriculum. Formal permission is not required, although we do appreciate your feedback. https://www.propwatch.org/contact.phpPoynter InstituteWe ... adhere to the International Fact-Checking Network Fact-checkers' Code of Principles, developed by the Poynter Institute to promote excellence and standardization in fact-checking.PolitiFact.comOur primary sources for fact-checking include PolitiFact.com, a non-profit, Pulitzer Prize winning website, operated by the Poynter Institute, and Factcheck.org, a nonpartisan, non-profit project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.Institute for Propaganda Analysis (IPA)Our Inspiration ~ This project was inspired by the pioneering work of the Institute for Propaganda Analysis (IPA). In 1937, the IPA was created to educate the American public about propaganda and spark rational thinking, to help the public have well-informed discussions on current issues. The organization focused on domestic propaganda that might become a possible threat to the democratic way of life... Although the IPA only lasted five years, through its final monthly bulletin in January 1942, its ground-breaking work has stood the test of time and made a lasting impact on public awareness of the instruments of propaganda. We hope to carry that torch into the digital era.Hacks HackersFunding and Organization ~ If we accept funding from other organizations, we ensure that our contributors have no influence over the content we produce or the content we analyze. The professional background of all key figures in our organization can be viewed here. This project is supported [in part] by a grant from the Hacks Hackers.Propwatch Project StaffMike GordonCEO & Senior Editor -- Mr. Gordon is also a professor with the College of Computer and Information Technology at St. Petersburg College, a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, and has been active in the IT and web development industries since 1998. He holds two Master's degrees from Queens College, NY and Fort Hays State University, KS. He is also a 2014 League for Innovation in the Community College Excellence Award winner for outstanding student engagement.Samy AmanatullahAssociate Editor ~ Mr. Amanatullah is an educator and human rights practitioner with a BA in Sociocultural Linguistics and an MA in Human Rights and Democratization. His areas of expertise include information disorder, non-linear warfare, intercultural education and issues pertaining to human rights. His thesis on disinformation and detecting human rights vulnerabilities in fake news has been published through the Global Campus Repository.Angela FraioliAssociate Editor ~ Ms. Fraioli is completing a BA in Political Science and Opera at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, with a focus in constitutional law and political rhetoric. Her thesis research compares the historical strength of constitutions as the foundation for government and she hopes to explore political rhetoric and analysis in future degrees. She is passionate about promoting the spread of unbiased information for voters and the public at large.Stephanie McVickerResearch Scientist ~ Dr. McVicker received her Ph.D. from Robert Morris University. Her dissertation and research focus is on political disinformation, propaganda, and persuasion in visuals. She also has an M.S. in Communication & Information Systems and a B.A. in Public Relations and is also a peer reviewer for Harvard Kennedy School's Misinformation Review. She is passionate about helping others gain awareness of disinformation and propaganda techniques.Blaire HobbsCommunity Outreach Coordinator ~ Ms. Hobbs completed a BS in Cognitive Science from the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC). While she is generally interested in the socio-political effects of media on powerful institutions and the public, she hopes to mitigate the growing impact of propaganda on public understanding and policy making. She plans to attend law school and use her J.D. to enforce protections for journalists.Tyler WestOutreach Specialist ~ Mr. West has more than ten years of experience in managing cross-platform communications for high-profile, non-profit organizations, including Global Citizen, the Fulbright Program, The Writer's Center, and the Think Tank. He holds a Master of Arts in Global Communication from George Washington University, and is currently pursuing his Ph.D.Madison ResnickSocial Media Specialist ~ Ms. Resnick is pursuing two bachelor's degrees in political science and editing, writing, and media at Florida State University and plans to earn a master's degree in Applied American Politics and Policy. She is especially interested in the ways that media, politics, and democracy interact. She plans to pursue a career in political journalism and communications.Tanvi MishraContent Writer / Analyst ~ Ms. Mishra is a STEM student in her freshman year of college at the University of Debrecen in Hungary. She is deeply interested in the junction of science and politics in policy making and global governance. She also writes political op-eds about current events.Jahnavi AkellaContent Writer / Analyst ~ Ms. Akella is a recent graduate of the University of Arizona and holds a B.A. in Political Science and Russian. She has professional experience in voter engagement and community political education. She is greatly concerned about the overwhelming influence money can have on political outcomes and hopes to attend law school in the near future.Nathan YaxContent Writer / Analyst ~ Mr. Yax is studying political science with a focus in international relations at Carleton College, with a minor in history. His main areas of interest are contemporary geopolitics and American hyperpartisanship.Michael ChildersContent Writer / Analyst ~ Mr. Childers studies music composition and topics related to writing and psychology. He is a graduate of Roane State Community College and has attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He's also involved in song-writing and video production. One of his main areas of interest is encouraging himself and others to think critically.Propwatch Project Advisory BoardDr. Sergei SamoilenkoDr. Samoilenko is a Communication Instructor at George Mason University and founding member of CARP, the Research Lab for Character Assassination and Reputation Politics: https://carpresearchlab.org. He is a co-editor of The Routledge Handbook of Character Assassination and Reputation Management, and Handbook of Research on Deception, Fake News, and Misinformation Online. In addition to teaching, he is focused on bridging academic and professional communities in the areas of political communication, public relations, and reputation management.Dr. Bobi IvanovDr. Ivanov is a professor of Integrated Strategic Communication at the University of Kentucky. He studies strategic message design, consumer behavior, and strategic communications, and has taught courses on different topics such as Communication Theory, Inoculation Theory and Resistance, Communication and Persuasion, and Persuasion and Psychophysiological Measurement, among others. Dr. Ivanov is also a key contributor to our internal research on inoculation messaging strategy.Dr. John BanasDr. Banas is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Oklahoma who specializes in persuasion theory and helping people resist the influence of persuasive messages. His research has been published in numerous journals, including: Communication Monographs, Communication Quarterly, Communication Education, Southern Journal of Communication, Journal of Language and Social Psychology, and Journal of Intercultural Communication Research.Dr. Cailin O'ConnorDr. O'Connor is an Associate Professor in the Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science, and a member of the Institute for Mathematical Behavioral Science at UC Irvine. Her research interests include a number of topics in philosophy of biology and the behavioral sciences, philosophy of science, and evolutionary game theory. The trade book she co-authored, The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread, was published with Yale University Press.Dr. Nolan HigdonDr. Higdon is an author and university lecturer of history and media studies. Higdon's areas of concentration include youth culture, news media history, and critical media literacy. His most recent publications include The Anatomy of Fake News (2020) and United States of Distraction with Mickey Huff. In addition, he has been a contributor to Truthout and Counter-punch, and a guest commentator for The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and numerous television news outlets.Debra Louison LavoyMs. Lavoy has served as a marketing executive at AOL, Adobe, Open Text, Jostle. She developed a framework for building core narratives and measuring narrative strength, and applied it to over a dozen companies. In late 2015, due to the rise of disinformation and its malicious appropriation of the tools of marketing and narrative, she turned her knowledge of rhetoric and marketing skills to fight back, culminating in the creation of Reality Team in 2020.Nehemiah Jefferson, Esq., LL.M., EAMr. Jefferson is Managing Principal of The Jefferson Firm, LLC, a law practice; Vice President of The Love-Alive Charity Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to feeding and clothing the homeless, and Vice President of Pretty with Purpose, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering teen girls. Mr. Jefferson possesses numerous professional licenses, a Bachelor's degree from The Florida State University, a Juris Doctor from John Marshall Law School.Rational thinking and well-informed discussions on current issues_d14fe206-3cc6-11ec-be58-b6bd2183ea00To raise public awareness about the prevalence of propaganda and disinformation in mass media_d14fe328-3cc6-11ec-be58-b6bd2183ea00NonpartisanshipNonpartisanship and Fairness ~ In keeping with our commitment to nonpartisanship, we analyze all content using the same standard and let the evidence dictate our conclusions. We do not concentrate our analysis on any one side of the political spectrum. As a result, we strive to present an equal balance of comments reflecting both sides of the political spectrum, featuring a current balance of 50.29% / 49.71% comments associated with Democrats / Republicans respectively. As this is a real-time rating, it fluctuates on a day-to-day basis as new content is added to the database.FairnessVerificationWe want our readers to be able to verify our findings themselves.ReplicationIn keeping with that commitment, we provide all sources via footnotes linking to the actual source material, so that readers can replicate our work.ExcellenceStandardizationFactualityCritical ThinkingSpark critical thinking_d14fe49a-3cc6-11ec-be58-b6bd2183ea001_d14fe5a8-3cc6-11ec-be58-b6bd2183ea00FallaciesUndermine logical fallacies_d14fe6a2-3cc6-11ec-be58-b6bd2183ea002_d14fe7ba-3cc6-11ec-be58-b6bd2183ea00Propaganda & DisinformationExpose propaganda techniques and disinformation_d14fe8c8-3cc6-11ec-be58-b6bd2183ea003OUR METHODOLOGY ~ What is Inoculation? Inoculation or "refutational preemption" is one of the few methods that has been scientifically proven to be effective at protecting individual attitudes and beliefs against the devices of propaganda; one that also builds resistance to future challenges. A messaging strategy of inoculation is analogous to the medical inoculation process, whereby a subject is exposed to a threat in order to build up his or her immune response, which will be triggered again when a real threat is encountered. This not only bolsters the original recipient's immediate resistance to propagandist messaging, but also against future exposure to propaganda. Beyond the original recipient, this same inoculation process motivates "postinoculation talk," which is the viral effect of those individuals who receive an inoculation message sharing that message with others. But for inoculation be effective, the message receiver must first be able to identify the threat, which is why we showcase only authentic content. It's one thing to read the definition of a propaganda technique or watch a scripted video describing it; it's another to see the technique being used in a national debate by a past or present elected official.PatternsDocument patterns that match propaganda techniques_d14fe9cc-3cc6-11ec-be58-b6bd2183ea003.1Transparency of Methodology ~ Our methodology for deconstructing political speech is unique. Once a video clip is analyzed and an instance of propaganda identified, it is documented in the form of a "play-by-play" comment. When determining whether a statement demonstrates a certain technique, we are looking for patterns that match signatures of the approximately 80 techniques that make up the site glossary.ComparisonCompare two independent analyses_d14feaee-3cc6-11ec-be58-b6bd2183ea003.2We analyze all videos clips with two analysts working independently on the same clip. After both analysts have finished their work, we then compare the results for instances where the same technique was identified at the same timecode by both analysts.ConfirmationConfirm strong signature matches_d14fec06-3cc6-11ec-be58-b6bd2183ea003.3The video clip is then independently reviewed by an editor. If the editor doesn't confirm a strong signature match, the comment is deleted from the database. If both analysts and editor confirm a strong signature match to a glossary technique, the comment is added to the database. For example, when identifying a statement that uses minimization, there should be present a clear structural pattern of trivializing something that is being scrutinized, followed by a deflection to something the speaker promotes as being more important. When a match is detected, the comment that follows must clearly spell out the matter being trivialized as factual, followed by identifying who or what the focus is being shifted to. When identifying a statement as an appeal to compromised authority, the comment that follows must indicate how the authority cited in the statement is biased or has a vested interest in the outcome, providing a link to a reliable source that details that bias or spells out a clear conflict of interest with the authority being cited. While all signature matches go through this 3-step verification process, the comment itself must adhere to rigid syntactical guidelines, which are exclusive to each technique in the site glossary. If a comment does not meet this standard, it is revised or deleted from the database. With that said, there isn't any actual scientific formula that is 100% objective for identifying propaganda. There are objective measures that can be devised and employed, but ultimately there is always some degree of subjective judgment involved when making these determinations.2021-11-03https://www.propwatch.org/mission.phpOwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net