US Political Rivalry Campaigns: Propaganda, Fake News, and Digital Media

This essay explores the role of propaganda, fake news, and digital media in US political campaigns. It analyzes the impact of mass persuasion, social influence, and the use of unethical practices in the media. The study also highlights the need for civic education and a solution against fake information.

Communication Evolution
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Assessment Name: Political Campaign
Word Count: 1457
US Political Rivalry campaigns

Abstract
Propaganda politics is common in modern day politics. The 2016 US Presidential campaigns
were marred with mudslinging, name-calling, accusations and counter accusations. The use of
fake news and digital media for propaganda campaigns. In a liberal society where freedom of
speech is a plus, political parties engage the media platforms to sell their ideas, convince voters
against the opponents and defend themselves. The evolution of campaign strategies towards the
innovative digital techniques has pros and cons. This essay looks at the role of the public in
spearheading such campaigns, propaganda politics, broadcast and participatory media,
democracy and the political economy. Although there are numerous propaganda styles, the use
of transfer propaganda featuring the use of symbols, famous people quotes and images was
instrumental in the US 2016 campaigns. Coupled with these, it featured glittering generalities in
which featured all kinds of themes including feminism, racist and nationalistic ideas. The
campaigns were an attempt by the candidates to promote, transfer and persuade voters.

Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Literature review..............................................................................................................................4
Methods...........................................................................................................................................7
Findings...........................................................................................................................................7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
References........................................................................................................................................9

Introduction
Donald Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again” was not only malicious but it
spread a message of hope to his supporters. Political party campaigns in the US have made a
dramatic turn in the face of digital media. Propaganda as mass persuasion has a greater impact on
the ICT platforms. The use of social media links like Twitter by Trump was the most effective
yet it remains criticized for so many reasons. His propaganda style had a racist connotation in
which he capitalized on painting immigrants as bad people saying, “They’re bringing crime,
they’re rapists, and some I assume are good people...” (McCammon, 2016). News feeds travel at
a high speed on network media and it affects the international and local environment. The
internet is a complex media network with links to private and public settings. In addition, the US
is a liberal society with freedom of media, freedom of expressions and respect for human rights.
The propaganda campaign by the trump team featuring fake news about his opponents had an
aim of making Clinton and Democrats look bad. Although some believed the propagandist
notions, verification of fake news sources raised questions about the unethical practices in the
media.
Literature review
Research on fake news starts with an analysis of ethical practices in traditional media. Edson, et
al., (2018) identifies types of fake news including satire, parody, fabrication, and deceptions.
These are evident in the US case where sarcasm and irony ruled in media accusations. Before the
advent of social media, mass media featuring the TV print and broadcast made more sense.
Consumers could trust top News channels such as CNN, and ABN for reliable global and
national news in the US respectively. The two-step model on mass media indicates that opinion

leaders have the power to influence individuals (Choi, 2014). Social influence is important in
forming public opinion and involves common tactics used in politics as well as marketing. It
works by shaping and changing the public image. As a common political practice, mass
persuasion would display Trump in the company of religious leaders. Mass media transmits
information to people, social movements and organizations, which serve as transit systems. His
team would partner with news agencies to spread false information such as Trump endorsement
from the Pope (Randall, 2017). The spread of such information brought confusion as to who was
more trustworthy, the media or political teams?
Social media has public forums where opinion leaders use networks to stimulate discussions.
Although digital experts agree that there is a way to verify on news sources, the online platform
is still a ground for unethical practices (Cadwalladr, 2016). The involvement of thousands of
sites including mainstream media in propaganda tactics complicates the situation. This poses a
challenge to the new filtering applications designed to disseminate selective information and
ideas. Trump's team took advantage of the patriotic nature of the American people to insinuate
that the US was not great and that Clinton was responsible for the downfall. Using framing to
bring to light the truth while hiding certain elements of reality, this team managed to garner a
win amidst unpopular votes. The agenda-setting theory highlights tactics that have been in
existence since the existence of traditional media (Golan, et al., 2015: McCombs & Shaw, 1972).
Mass media campaigns have the ability to change attitudes and capture interest. This explains
why editors and news team members are significant opinion shapers. Presidential elections are
some of the most opinionated campaigns around the globe.

Consumers need a system that checks the content including images and discourse analysis.
Chomsky and Herman give five filters, namely the ownership, advertising, source, PR, Flak and
Monstrous other or anticommunism (Herman, 2018). This model reveals that fake news has
consequences such as spreading individual’s interests. People need civic education on how to
identify and shun fake news. By making a distinction between the real and fake news, the
audience is able to recognize the distinction between the enemy and a trusted friend. Propaganda
is the persuasive mode of communication-based on captivating campaigns designed to
manipulate public opinion. These could be lies or half-truths about a story or selective retelling.
Based on special interests, propaganda appears persuasive yet lacks supporting ground or basis.
News agencies in the US are highly commercialized hence spread personal opinion for the
business owners. Trump is a businessperson with shares in mainstream media. In order to
persuade the group, the propaganda strategist promises freedom to diverse opinions. Sometimes
propaganda incorporates allied forces and may feature external parties (McIntyre, 2016). News
agencies also had a reputation for experiences such as the Iraq news coverage in which
journalistic opinion received criticism for being untrue.
In a society where leaders are to have a high moral standing and respect from the public, the use
of scandals, in this case, would cost a contestant votes. By capitalizing on the shared practices,
the trump team spread propaganda against the Democrats successfully. Castells, et al., (2012)
identify the technology-driven journalism as a new phenomenon that redefines journalism but
may have consequences. Current development reveals the public demand for such information
and an interpretation of the performance of journalism with a focus on public interest. The public
sphere is a principle based on access to all. The media has a role to be the people’s watchdog.
Today opinion polls provide a platform for media houses to reaffirm their professionalism by

presenting evidence-based data. PR strategies place an emphasis on than public as then
motivation behind.
Unlike the authoritarian system where media has limitations, a liberal democracy gives the
freedom (Bennett & Segerberg, 2012). Propaganda strategy manages public opinion through
visuals, choice of words, and strategic release of information. A comparative analysis of political
tactics using Twitter as a tool for advocacy and public diplomacy strategies reveals the need for
better digital strategies for effective communication (Collins & Dodd, 2017).
Methods
Using a mini-study designed to identify evidence of mass persuasion in the Trump campaign; I
took a closer look at the digital work, the content analysis and researched information about the
Trump campaigns. With reference to secondary sources of research, the experiment tried to find
out the effect that the fake news had on people. Using an online platform to collect data, I
presented 20 questions for dispersing to the participants. I considered five respondents from four
of Trump's strongholds. I picked the participants from an online political forum and asked them
to participate voluntarily.
This method of data collection was easy, flexible and I got a high response rate. What’s more, it
cost me nothing, just time and credible links. Although I managed to get their email addresses, a
lot of information was not verifiable. To prepare the questions, I used Survey Monkey, which is
free. The limited virtual platform meant I could not observe the participants well (Blair, et al.,
2013).
Findings

The results show that 10 respondents who voted for Trump felt that the campaign or part of the
trump campaign had massive effects. With millions of Twitter and Facebook followers,
consumers were keen on trumps every tweet was. The reception had mixed reactions and
critiques. 13 respondents clicked on the fake news despite the fact that they felt it was a hoax.
From the findings, more than 50% of participants agree that fake news sells faster than accurate
information. Most people prefer to read the ugly out of curiosity. The research also noted the
high speed of sharing fake news from numerous links. Twitter users confirmed that they were
more likely to retweet a fake news piece that a captivating heading. 80% of the respondents also
agreed that political fake news sold as high as celebrity fake news. However, 15 out of 20 felt the
need for a solution against fake information but did not know how.
Conclusion
Mass persuasion featuring propaganda tactics is a common political strategy that has been in
existence for ages. Its effectiveness in presidential campaigns has given unworthy candidates an
edge over the overqualified and respected candidate. However, the theory has come under heavy
criticism because of the unethical practices evident in popular democracies like the US. Although
democracy advocates for transparency, truth, and public participation, political candidates like
Donald Trump have capitalized on crude tactics like Fake news to spread lies or half-truth during
campaigns. This has had a negative effect on political diplomacy. As a result, it becomes a
challenge to commercialized media houses and personalities who are channels for reliable and
truthful news and information. A study on the effectiveness of fake news indicates high public
interest in such untruthful information, for reasons. This provides a gap for further research on

the use of propaganda and online communication in campaign strategies for political and
marketing uses.

References
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McCammon, S., 2016. Donald Trump has brought on countless controversies in an unlikely
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