Psy-Ops Research.

[Karl12]

• "Psychological warfare employs age-old ideas in twentieth century dress"

D. Lincoln Harter, Propaganda Handbook, 1953

Looks like the term 'psy-ops' is establishing itself more and more in the public consciousness (just like 'false flag' did a few years ago) and when it comes to 'perception management' and influence operations performed by 'behaviour change specialists' then there are some relevant links below exploring just what the dickens is going on.





• Definition and document archive:

Psychological Operations

Psychological Operations (PSYOP, PSYOPS) are techniques used by military and police forces to influence a target audience’s value systems, belief systems, emotions, motives, reasoning, and behavior.

Target audiences can be governments, organizations, groups, and individuals, and are used in order to induce confessions, or reinforce attitudes and behaviors favorable to the originator’s objectives.

These are sometimes combined with black operations or false flag tactics

Government Document Archive

• Perception Management:


A good, clinical definition below including the nine strategies of 'perception management' (AKA how to brainwash the public).

Perception management includes all actions used to influence the attitudes and objective reasoning of foreign audiences and consists of Public Diplomacy, Psychological Operations (PSYOPS), Public Information, Deception and Covert Action.



There are nine strategies for perception management. These include:


1. Preparation — Having clear goals and knowing the ideal position you want people to hold.


2. Credibility — Make sure all of your information is consistent, often using prejudices or expectations to increase credibility.


3. Multichannel support — Have multiple arguments and fabricated facts to reinforce your information.


4. Centralized control — Employing entities such as propaganda ministries or bureaus.


5. Security — The nature of the deception campaign is known by few.


6. Flexibility — The deception campaign adapts and changes over time as needs change.


7. Coordination — The organization or propaganda ministry is organized in a hierarchical pattern in order to maintain consistent and synchronized distribution of information.


8. Concealment — Contradicting information is destroyed.


9. Untruthful statements — Fabricate the truth.

Online Psyops and Perception Management

Also quite a relevant example below taken from March, 1962 where the Joint Chiefs of Staff discuss how to manipulate the 'public mind' by the use of false flag terrorism.

The Joint Chiefs expressly proposed arranging, planning, and executing terrorist attacks in Miami and Washington D.C.

These proposed terrorist events would be blamed on Cuba, and were hoped to, if carried out, cause a wave of indignation across the American public mind and provide the popular support for invading Cuba militarily.

Northwoods Document 1962

[Karl12]

Truly amazing how much research has now disappeared from the internet but there's another very relevant hyperlinked article below and the remaining links are well worth a watch (and a save).

Also turns out there was a psy-ops unit based at CNN.





• Psyops 101: A brief history of fake news

Since that time, fake news broadcasts have been aired on otherwise “mainstream” networks from time to time, often with little or no notice that the “news” story being aired is completely fictitious.

Sometimes the fake news is deliberately seeded into the public consciousness by way of a carefully coordinated public relations campaign.

Other times the fake news consists of staged or manipulated interviews, designed to give a false impression that the on-the-ground reality is different than it really is.

Yet another method of implanting fake news is to merely make large-scale accusations that can later be exposed as being completely baseless. The widespread coverage of the original allegation and the almost non-existent coverage of the retraction is enough to assure the effectiveness of this particular psyop tactic.

All of these methods of psychological warfare, however, are only as effective as they are believable. To a jaded public, or even just one that has learned not to trust the news from a given source that is known to have a bias for or against given entities, the effectiveness of such propaganda is severely limited. This is where a new and altogether more insidious form of misinformation comes into play, however: the video news release.

The VNR, or video news release is a short video production that is made to look like a news report. Often employing actors or PR specialists to represent the “reporter” and even the interviewees, the VNR has been used as a way for companies to work their products and services into the nightly news in the guise of a “news” broadcast.

More disturbing by far than the widespread use of this PR trick by companies like Microsoft and Phillip Morris is the use of VNRs by the federal government.

Some will dismiss the fears about VNRs out of hand. After all, they will argue, psychological warfare is by definition something that is used against one’s enemies, not one’s own people. 

Link

Related articles:


An older link but also looks like the Pentagon is engaging in mass psychological manipulation of the public.


• Pentagon used psychological operation on US public, documents show



Also a really interesting Slate article below concerning 'psy-ops propaganda going mainstream' involving psychological warfare, public diplomacy, influence operations etc..


• "You Can’t Handle the Truth"




Related Links:


• DOD Spends More on Domestic PsyOps Than On Foreign PsyOps

• How The US Flooded The World With Psyops

• Quotes

[Karl12]

Looks like the term 'cognitive infiltration' is the new catch all phrase for 'active propaganda' and there's an interesting discussion below with Professor Mark Crispin Miller about disarming grey / white propaganda drives.

How to Disarm Propaganda - Mark Crispin Miller


Video


Today Mark Crispin Miller, NYU Professor joins us to discuss his specialty: propaganda.

In true #SolutionsWatch style, we discuss ways to identify and dissect propaganda, as well as how to help others to see through common propaganda techniques.

When it comes to distortion, deflection, suppression or just plain BS then also thought this vid made some good refresher points about the 'psychological building blocks of deception' and the manipulative techniques employed.





Edit to add this pic:

[Karl12]