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

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