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Truth In Propaganda

Truth in Modern Chinese Propaganda

Propaganda used in Xinjiang Ethnic conflict

Background information

Violence in the Xinjiang province in western China between the Uyghur minority group and majority Han Chinese began in July 2009 after a year of growing tension, rooted in the Uyghur groups belief that they have been socially and economically marginalised by Beijing's policies that aim to assimilate the Uyghur’s into Chinese culture . The media controlled by the Chinese ruling communist party officials branded those Uyghurs that participated in riots the as “terrorists”. This branding has been largely criticised by nations outside of China as citing violence against this ethnic minority group. Therefore, there is conflict in the truth portrayed in political propaganda that has worsened the ethno-political conflict.

Constructivist framework of ethnicity

Constructivist theory views ethnic identities as a product of human actions and choices, claiming that they are constructed and transmitted between generations. Many Uighurs are speak a Turkic language rather than Mandarin. This view that identity is constructed has underpinned the separatist movement as they regard themselves as culturally and ethnically closer to Central Asian nations, as opposed to being Chinese. However, the Chinese government officially classes Uighur as one of the 55 Chinese ethnic minorities, and retains control over the province. This disagreement about the 'true' identity of this minority ethnic group and the belief that they should be a separate state has led to a major separatist movement in the 1990s.

Normative and subjective truth in media

To influence its external image regarding the conflict, China has curated advertisements on Facebook and Twitter to reach Western audiences to spread false information about the re-education camps of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang. The adverts aim to suggest these detention centres were not supposed to prohibit anyone's religious autonomy and beliefs. However, according to Human Rights Watch, many human rights violations are being made. Therefore, the image that is being portrayed is of a government that believes religion can breed terror, and thus has been trying to restrain religious expression in the Xinxiang region by enforcing violent and oppressive ‘re-education'.

There is clearly a variation of what is the 'truth' regarding these camps and what should be done to control the riots, depending on subjective and normative analysis. To external western observers, the camps are a clear human rights violation based on their own value judgement of the right to maintain ones religious beliefs. However, to the Chinese government, their own subjective view is that these camps are necessary to prevent violent riots, and bring harmony to the Xinxiang region. Indeed, the Chinese government has refuted claims of human rights violations, claiming that the truth is these are only re-education camps, and all people in Xinjiang “are united as closely as the seeds of a pomegranate”, said in a speech to the United Nations Human Rights Council by the vice governor of Xinjiang's.

The truth about whether the rioters should be labelled 'separatist terrorists' or 'political activists' defending their rights is also dependent on subjective views of each concept. While the former is the view portrayed in Chinese propaganda, western media creates a portrayal of the latter. Chinese media stopped calling the Uighur rioters 'separatists' and began referring to them as 'terrorists'. This aided the government to gain support internationally for its actions in the region.

Propaganda about Hong Kong protests

Background information

Anti-government protests have been sparked in Hong Kong after the proposal to allow extradition to mainland China, which remains controversial as it conflicts with the autonomy Hong Kong has maintained since falling under Chinese rule after 1997, when Britain's colonial rule over the region ended. Protesters fear that extradition to mainland china will lead to citizens of Hong Kong facing violent and unjust treatment, whilst also allowing China to progress control over the region.

Truth in Chinese propaganda

China depicts itself, through cartoons and symbolic imagery, as a 'long-suffering mother whose infant daughter Hong Kong was snatched away from her loving arms only to be returned as a tantrum-throwing toddler'. This refers to the return of Hong Kong to Chinese authority after it was handed back from the British. Hong Kong protesters have reclaimed this imagery, portraying China as a 'bad mother'. The truth about whether China has bee a 'good' or 'bad' symbolic maternal figure largely depends on subjective analysis of what is a 'good' and 'bad' authority. From the Chinese perspective, they want to create harmony among the states it controls. However, opponents of the proposal suggest it would lead to corruption and the abuse of power, as well as a loss of Hong Kong's national identity.

Truth in the Brexit campaign and use of propaganda

Both campaigns had very different approaches to truth:

Remain

Focused on objective facts, looking at statistics and statements that could be backed up by evidence. For example there website, ‘BritainStrongerinEurope’ had a page called ‘get the facts’, explaining the benefit on staying in for different sectors: Jobs, workers rights, NHS e.t.c.  They used images that boldly stated the facts, such as ‘3 million jobs are linked to our trade with the Eu’, which people could share on social media. They also produced a number of leaflets, that explained in detail, using facts and statistics to illustrate the impact of leaving. Their approach was positivist in many aspects.

Remain relied on the opinions and quotes of experts, such as Mark Carney, Governor of the bank England: ‘Leaving the Eu is Britain biggest domestic risk’. Quotes from people that had high-powered positions in fields such as economic, finance, and trade unions, expressed clearly the risk of leaving. The truth of these statements, despite being an opinion, are normally considered closer to the truth as an expert has a more exhaustive knowledge of the subject.

However Remain was accused of being ‘project fear’, they trying to scare voters with ‘claims’ of the disastrous consequences of leaving the Eu. During the referendum a pattern of thinking emerged, that disregarded the opinions of experts: as Michael Gove said he had ‘had enough of experts’. The use of truth, therefore became less focused on a analysis backed by a positivist method, but instead on a highly subjective truth guided by voters rather than facts.

Leave

The Propaganda of the leave campaign focused on ‘truth’ that was highly subjective and normative, in the way it was created to play with people’s emotions. For example their posters stating that countries such as Albania, Serbia and Turkey were ‘set to join the Eu’. However this statement was a manipulation of the truth, although these countries had all applied they had not been accepted, which is not the same as being about to join the Eu. Therefore the campaign chose their language carefully to take a fact out of context and twist its meaning, knowing fully how it would influence voters opinion on the further of EU.

In contrast to the Remain Campaign, vote leave posters contain little statistics and empirical evidence to back up their statements. Furthermore there is little or even no opinions of experts feature in their propaganda. Their most infamous manipulation of the truth was the claim that the NHS would get 350 million if we left the Eu. The statement was printed on the side of a campaign bus. It was revealed shortly after the referendum result, that the claim was completely fabricated- Nigel Farage saying that is was ‘one of the mistakes made by the leave campaign’. It is therefore nearly certain that the people responsible for the propaganda knew it to be untrue, yet they made it seen like it was a objective empirical truth.

Truth in Trump's Propaganda

The election of Trump

At the beginning of 2011 Trump doubted Obama’s birthplace, which he used as promotion of his own political career. His election slogan „Make America great again“ may be a resonant slogan, but he was not the first to use it ( Reagan actually came up with it) and rather than being based on a true promise, it can be argued that America was never actually great.

Twitter, Trump and Truth

Trump keeps making statements on twitter or in press conferences that are proven to be wrong, concerning not only his election results but also often stating numbers wrong. In more than 20 of his first 40 days in office Trump told a public lie.

President Donald Trump has now said more than 10,000 false or misleading things in his first 827 days in office, according to The Washington Post Fact He has used false claims to attack his political opponents, question the legitimacy and loyalty of the Obama administration and other Democrats, and undermine the news media, the federal government and other institutions that many of his supporters do not trust.

As Donald Trump is constantly proclaiming that media are spreading "Fake News", Truth, as something that can be discussed is part of his propaganda. Interestingly, when looking at Truth as an interdisciplinary issue this is also the case: different disciplines disagree on apparent truths. However, while the debates between disciplines about truth can enhance knowledge, the active use of denying truths within Trump's propaganda, such as the scientific fact of the climate change, is a dangerous manipulating tool.