Political Mass Media and Ideologies of Persuasion

Extract

[...] Animal cruelty is one of them. PETA believes that everyone should work to prevent animal cruelty whenever and wherever they can, and they have opportunities to do so as "PETA works through public education, investigative newsgathering and reporting, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns" (PETA, 2023). PETA disagrees with speciesism, humansupremacist worldview' (PETA, 2023), this idea raises fundamental questions about how humans should treat animals and the extent to which animals have moral value. According to Singer, "speciesism is a prejudice or attitude of bias in favour of the interests of members of one's own species and against those of members of other species" (Kagan, 2016:1). [...]

[...] Political Mass Media and Ideologies of Persuasion TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ii Introduction 1 Propaganda 2 PETA 4 In Captivity 6 Grab A Puppy 8 Conclusion 10 APPENDIX 11 BIBLIOGRAPHY 12 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Archer Troy, In Captivity (PETA) . 11 Figure The Community, Grab A Puppy (PETA) . 11 Introduction Propaganda is a powerful tool that continues to affect public opinion and influence collective consciousness in today's hyper-connected society. Its effect extends beyond traditional media, impacting our daily lives through various sources. [...]

[...] Through intelligent wordplay and a hint of satire, the statement adds a sense of humour. It brings ease into a severe message about pet adoption and presidential politics. It draws on tongue-in-cheek humour by suggesting an indirect relationship between a president's pet ownership and the potential of impeachment. It plays with the idea that not having a pet could lead to impeachment, which is an exaggerated relation. This exaggeration, paired with the suggested urgency of "the time is now," provides a comical element that encourages the audience to consider adopting a pet with a smile rather than just a sense of responsibility. [...]

[...] The aim is to generate fear or anxiety in the audience to persuade them to take a specific action or adopt a particular belief. As Shabo states, "propaganda uses biased information that stirs up audience emotions and 'forces' the audience to the opinion or conclusion of the propagandist" (Shabo, 2008:4). The feeling of loneliness experienced during the global lockdown of COVID-19 allows viewers to relate to one another. It encourages people to reflect on how they would react in similar circumstances, which might lead to compassion for animals and their condition. [...]

[...] The widespread use of false news, deep fakes, and information manipulation highlights the importance of media literacy and critical thinking. PETA The ethical treatment of animals has become an ongoing dispute in modern society. A dedicated organisation called People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the world's largest animal rights organisation, with roughly 9 million global members and supporters (PETA, 2023). PETA monitors and maintains the ethical treatment of animals used in testing, the food industry, entertainment businesses, and research. PETA is a worldwide non-profit charitable organisation in Norfolk, Virginia (PETA, 2023). [...]