Terror Propaganda Created To Fit State Agenda

[Lynyrd Skynyrd]

One morning, maybe 5 years ago, I was walking with the dog, and as as we reached a more remote area, I noticed a local news truck, with a reporter getting ready for a live feed. He was doing a story about terrorists targeting internet communications. I explained that it was actually metal thieves that had pulled down the fiber optic line, thinking it was copper. Their metal processing camp was 100 feet away, littered with scrap, human feces and hypodermic needles. The old dirty rope that was used to pull down the line had lain in that field for years. It became a huge national news story about terrorism, and the local interagency terrorism task force along with the FBI were investigating. Pundits in the national press pontificated about the unknown group responsible. I did casually explain my knowledge of the event to a local sheriffs deputy, but there was no interest, and I never got a response.

[ArMaP]

Exaggerating things is normal, some people even do it in Internet forums for free, although in that case I'm sure someone got some money from it.

[Lynyrd Skynyrd]

Exaggerating things is normal, some people even do it in Internet forums for free, although in that case I'm sure someone got some money from it.

It's a 100% true story. My first thread post, and you call me a liar?  What sort of clown forum is this? This may be the wrong place for me, blocky cartoon moderator.

[Tecate]

First of all, I don’t think ArMap was calling you out for anything.

I believe that they were just saying that people exaggerate things for their own benefit, and that people do it online for the same reason.

I totally believe that a bunch of things get thrown way out of proportion, from junkies stealing metal to terrorists trying to take down communications.
Psychopaths rioting reported as peaceful protesters.

It’s an agenda, follow the money…

Don’t take anything personal.

My 2 pesos

Tecate

[Lynyrd Skynyrd]

First of all, I don’t think ArMap was calling you out for anything.

I believe that they were just saying that people exaggerate things for their own benefit, and that people do it online for the same reason.

I totally believe that a bunch of things get thrown way out of proportion, from junkies stealing metal to terrorists trying to take down communications.
Psychopaths rioting reported as peaceful protesters.

It’s an agenda, follow the money…

Don’t take anything personal.

My 2 pesos

Tecate

I can't imagine referring to media and law enforcement agenda-driven disinformation as exaggeration. The "reporter" that day had zero interest in my insight, and the sheriff's deputy, about a week later, listened but made no comment. I did post some rebuttals, when I could, to national media reports, but my story wasn't a very effective correction. My sense is that most of the "news" we get is twisted to some degree.

[Tecate]

Absolutely it is!!

Their agenda is to sow fear and division for some reason.

The truth is too blasé and doesn’t fit with their narrative. I’m not surprised at all.

Keep fighting the good fight, regardless of their utter bullshit and remember to watch your own ass. Their agenda is always to line their own pockets. Fuck ‘em.

Exaggeration was perhaps just not the right term. Controlling the narrative is what they try to do.

Tecate

[Maxmars]

I remember the old tropes about how 'reporters' always passionately digging out the next "scoop" of a story, the next "stop the presses" moment.  I recall those same tropes becoming the backbone of repeated events where the passion and drive of the reporter leads to blind pursuit of 'anything' that could represent a "big news event" to the detriment of the facts, the truth, and everyone around him or her.

I am not surprised that someone might look at a scene and immediately decide to craft a narrative of dark, criminal, and foreboding potential.   What a story to sell!

Imagine someone coming along and telling them that rather than scoring their favorite Halloween candy as they are ready to boast and brag, instead they scored a boring old rock!

I don't think many preparing to yell "The sky is falling!" at the top of their lungs, will respond well when they are told their news isn't "news."

Then add to that just how much engagement "domestic terrorism" gets from the news cycle... government loves it, the MIC loves it, the 'news' producers love it, the 'media' owners make money from it, the partisans and activists use it to great effect, meanwhile the news consumers fret and worry (per 'think-tank' design) and comfort spending and isolation increases... everybody who can exploit it, wins.

[guyfriday]

This is the core of Trotskyism. Create a safe place within the confines of the state and showcase the chaos of not being part of it. In exchange for the peace of being protected by the state you work solely for the benefit of the state as indentured servants to the committee that run the state. 

If you chose to live outside of the state's protection, you will be subjected to the chaos created by the state to keep you from replacing them or living a life of peace.

[Maxmars]

This is the core of Trotskyism. Create a safe place within the confines of the state and showcase the chaos of not being part of it. In exchange for the peace of being protected by the state you work solely for the benefit of the state as indentured servants to the committee that run the state. 

If you chose to live outside of the state's protection, you will be subjected to the chaos created by the state to keep you from replacing them or living a life of peace.

Not to be argumentative, but the truth is that this strategy arose well before Trotsky.  It's damn Machiavellian.

It's been used in history more than most people realize.  At many more levels, and intensities, and by people of whom most would say "they would never do that."  Ironically, almost never serving anything we can identify as "good."

But there is a difference between 'propaganda' which bears intent, and some schmuck wanting to get closer to the fire of the media cycle.  Which is no apology, this is just a 'freebie' for the propagandists to use or not at their leisure.  It's less about the information than the behavior that accompanies it.

Media "sells" fear.  The incentive is evident and measurable.  To hide something because it evokes fear is just as much "propaganda," as exposing it for the same reason.  It's all in the wheelhouse of the "producer."

Like most problems of a social nature, the issue is how people behave, not so much what they think.

[ArMaP]

It's a 100% true story. My first thread post, and you call me a liar?

No, if I wanted to call you a liar I would say it clearly, but why would I call you a liar? I don't know you or the situation you posted about. In fact, I always assume people are telling the truth.

My intention was to say that there is no need to assume the media is doing the state's work for some specific agenda, as any agenda, pro or against the state, is good for the media if it creates some revenue and/or good for the "journalist(s)" reporting them.

And people do like the more sensationalist titles and stories.
As an example, several years ago, on a different forum (abovetopsecret.com), one member complained to me that most people ignored his threads based on provable information and flocked to threads about silly things with no proof. I suggested him to keep on posting the same type of threads but to make more sensationalist titles and to always add three exclamation marks at the end.
It worked.

What sort of clown forum is this?

The kind of forum in which you can post whatever you want, as long it is according to the Terms & Conditions Of Use and other forum guidelines.

This may be the wrong place for me, blocky cartoon moderator.

Maybe, maybe not, stick around some more just to be sure.

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This is the core of Trotskyism. Create a safe place within the confines of the state and showcase the chaos of not being part of it. In exchange for the peace of being protected by the state you work solely for the benefit of the state as indentured servants to the committee that run the state. 

That was more or less how the fascist regime in Portugal worked, from the common person everything was fine: there was no crime and all suicides were "accidents with a hunting gun".

The media only published good news about the country and only a few bad about other countries, they usually just ignored them. The state censorship took care of the rest.