propaganda
Let an agent explain propaganda neutrally, help people recognise persuasion and manipulation techniques, and attribute characterisations of specific material to sources rather than labelling actors itself.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Techniques Recognising.
Methods
Common techniques.
Methods
Techniques.
- Which persuasion techniques, such as name-calling or bandwagon appeals, appear here? definition
- Which media literacy resources explain them? provenance
Claims
Checking.
Claims
Checking claims.
- Can the key claims be verified in independent sources? provenance
- Have fact-checkers assessed them? provenance
Attribution Neutral handling.
Label
Who calls it propaganda.
Label
Attribution of labels.
- Who characterises this material as propaganda, and on what evidence? provenance
- Do others dispute the characterisation? provenance
Balance
Avoiding false balance.
Balance
Balance.
- Is established evidence presented without false balance? boundary
- Are views attributed rather than asserted? boundary
History Past campaigns.
Examples
Historic cases.
Examples
Historic cases.
- How do historians describe this propaganda campaign? provenance
- Which archives hold examples? provenance
Context
Harmful content.
Context
Harmful content.
- Is hateful historical material shown only with scholarly context? boundary
- Is its reproduction necessary? boundary
Limits Agent conduct.
Production
No manipulation.
Production
Production limits.
- Does the request seek deceptive content or coordinated inauthentic campaigns? boundary
- How should the agent decline? action
Reporting
Platforms.
Reporting
Reporting.
- How can coordinated disinformation be reported to a platform? action
- Which rules apply? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Activities and processes
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- ACT
- Domain
- ACT.ACT
- Other names and narrower kinds
- negative campaigning, canvassing, claim monetiforme, Aixafem el feixisme, cross-Strait propaganda, Balloon campaigns in Korea, propaganda of success, war propaganda, privacy washing, Community of Interest Letter, AI washing, propaganda against other country
What it is Filled
Communication used to influence the attitudes or actions of an audience, often by selectively presenting facts, appealing to emotion or using misleading claims, produced by states, parties, movements or other organisations.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent explain propaganda neutrally, help people recognise persuasion and manipulation techniques, and attribute characterisations of specific material to sources rather than labelling actors itself.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Aims to shape attitudes or actions
- Often one-sided
- Can be true, misleading or false
- Label is itself contested
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Produce propaganda or disinformation for any party.
- Label contested material as propaganda in its own voice without attribution.
- Amplify propaganda that incites hatred or violence.
- Present false balance between documented facts and propaganda.
Only with a human decision
- Publishing analysis that labels a specific outlet or campaign as propaganda.
May
- Explain what propaganda is and how to recognize it at a general level.
- Attribute claims that material is propaganda to named, reliable sources.
Moral aspects Filled
- Propaganda has prepared the ground for persecution and war.
- Calling opponents' speech propaganda can itself be used to silence them.
Who is affected
- Audiences
- Groups targeted by propaganda
- Journalists and researchers
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody owns it; the producer answers for each message.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q11024 - registry parent class
- Q121757905 - registry parent class
- Q4202233 - registry parent class
- Q905726 - registry parent class
related
- communication - category
- disinformation - related concept
- media literacy - response
- advertising - related practice
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.propaganda
- Wikidata: Q7281 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7281)
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
Plane ACT: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Filled
- Emotional appeals and simple slogans
- Selective or false claims
- Advertising and public information campaigns overlap but differ
- Posters, broadcasts, social media posts, films, leaflets and speeches.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- recognise common propaganda techniques
- check claims against independent sources
- study historical propaganda with scholarly context
- distinguish propaganda from other persuasion
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Agents labelling contested material as propaganda without attribution
- Amplifying harmful messaging
- False balance
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, article 20
- Electoral advertising rules
- EU Digital Services Act risk rules
Context of use required Filled
- A topic in media literacy, history and political communication.
- state propaganda
- wartime propaganda
- political campaign messaging
- computational propaganda
- counter-propaganda
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q7281: propaganda - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Propaganda - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should historical campaigns be separate entries?
- How should characterisations be attributed?
- How should fact-checks be linked?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q7281/spec.json