Propaganda Theories and Models: The MH370 Incident

PROPAGANDA THEORY ON THE MH370 INCIDENT

Contents (Jump to)

1. INTRODUCTION
2. PROPAGANDA THEORY RELATING TO MH370 INCIDENT
3. COUNTER PROPAGANDA BY THE GOVERNMENT
4. REFERENCES

1. INTRODUCTION

Mystery continues to surround the fate of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on 8 March.

Malaysian authorities, assisted by international aviation and satellite experts, are now battling to piece together the plane’s final hours in the hope that they can find its wreckage and explain what happened to its 239 passengers and crew. Some preliminary details were released on 1 May in a short report.

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Accordingly, many propaganda arises on this issue. Some of propaganda emanating from the local media and not to forget from abroad. If we look from the point of propaganda theory itself, there is some good propaganda that led to the issue of loss MH370, but there also resulting in a negative impact on public perception towards the way the government is dealing with the issue.

To deal with the propaganda that apply to this incident, we will analyze whether the form of propaganda, the propaganda perspective itself and how the government to overcome this problem.

Merriam Webster Dictionary gives the definition of propaganda as ideas or statements that are often false or exaggerated and that are spread in order to help a cause, a political leader, a government, etc. the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person, ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one’s cause or to damage an opposing cause; also : a public action having such an effect

First introduced by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky (1988), Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media, the propaganda model argues that the “material news” through five filters, which in turn form the audience received the news. This filter determines what is considered newsworthy events, how they are covered, where they were placed in the media and how much coverage they receive.

Propaganda model of media control that was introduced by Edward. S. Herman and Noam Chomsky (1988) states how propaganda works in the media. This model tries to understand how populations are manipulated, and how social, economic, political attitudes are formed in the minds of the people through propaganda. Herman and Chomsky are mostly concentrated in the American population and the media for their research, but the theory applies universally.

Propaganda model seeks to explain the behavior of the media by examining the institutional pressures that limit and influence the news content in a profit-driven system. In contrast to liberal theories that argue that journalism is defined hostility power, the propaganda model predicts that the company-owned news media will consistently produce news content that serves the interests of established power (Herman & Chomsky, 1988).

2. PROPAGANDA THEORY RELATING TO MH370 INCIDENT

Among the propaganda that exists from within Malaysia itself mostly spread through social media on the internet, given the sophistication of the current information age, there are blogs and websites questioned the credibility of the government and even spread propaganda relating to this issue of MH370.

Among the widely disseminated propaganda on the website saying that Malaysia experienced a “bad media” Especially from the Western press and especially CNN and Extension of this, of good journalistic practice for hazardous and agenda driven, further lead to more conspiracy theories especially the involvement of CNN.The Mole reproduces an article written by Matthias Chang, the profession as a lawyer, social activist, author and political analyst. He reveals how the MH370 is a multi-dimensional, and why the Zionist hands should not be overlooked. Although somewhat lengthy, is worth reading every word printed: “Before proceeding with Expose of Zionist propaganda Insidious Dastardly and Israel on the Cessation of MH 370, let me take this opportunity to convey my personal condolences and that of my family to a family who loves Ones have been killed in this tragedy and we hope ur strength to overcome the disadvantage pint them.”

He would also commend the Malaysian government’s efforts in the SAR Mission involved 26 countries that had never happened before. Allegations of unfair and unfounded against the Malaysian government made by many people in social media who do not have a clue and or expertise to comment on the operation of the Standard and Poor’s scale.

Another propaganda that there is involvement from the United States, which was propagated that where Maldives island Residents reported sighting of ‘low flying jet’ on the morning of the plane’s Disappearance that’s was finally Reported on twelve days after the fact. The pilot of the missing plane had a home flight simulator, Which was been Reported twelve days later to contain the landing simulation program of the Diego Garcia runway along with four other Approaches in the region. Whether any, all, or none of this information is true is still a matter of Conjecture. What Remains that’s a fact is not a trace of the Malaysian 777-200ER has been found. At his daily news briefing on 3-18-14, WH spokesperson Jay Carney has denied any Involvement of the Diego Garcia facility with the Disappearance of flight MH370.

In addition to conspiracy theories involving the United States, one side is highly spoken of as ‘real mastermind’ behind the MH370 is a tribe of lost Jewish or Israeli. It is the act of buying and Israel has a Boeing 777 2H6 (ER) long owned Malaysian Airline (MAS). Aircraft ‘twin’ MH370 has been recorded at a small airport in Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées, France on October 4, 2013 before he was taken to Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel on 4 November 2013. Understandable, MAS Boeing 777 aircraft with serial number 28 416 and registered as 9M-MRI has been sold to GA Telesis, LLC in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on October 21, 2013 before the N105GT.Pesawat registered as recorded in Tarbes Lourdes Pyrenees on October 4, 2014 before taken to Tel Aviv a month later.

The question is, why would Israel want to buy and have a long plane MAS this? If referred back Israeli reactions associated loss MH370, a ‘security expert’ of the country, Isaac Yeffet relate it to the theory that MH370 have been captured by the terrorists and taken to Iran to be used for a series of terror will come. Yeffet reportedly gave a statement to the Times of Israel:

“What happened to this aircraft, nobody knows. My guess is based upon the stolen passports, and I believe Iran was INVOLVED. They hijacked the aircraft and they landed it in a place that nobody can see or find it.” (There is no case what has happened to the aircraft. Based on reported cases of stolen passports, I believe Iran is involved in this case. They had seized the plane and fly it into a place that cannot be found).

Another propaganda that arises during the incident came from the opposition parties, where they claim that the incident crated by the government was to create a diversion to the voter, as coincidently at that time Kajang by-election was taking place. The propaganda was that by showing the great effort towards the search and rescue operations, the government will the heart of the voters.

Actually, there was so many propaganda arises during the incident even until now, people are still fed with various elements of propaganda for the positive and negative as well. If we examine this theory from the angle of propaganda, the government should also take the opportunity by using this incident as their leverage in building up the government credibility.

3. COUNTER PROPAGANDA BY THE GOVERNMENT

According to brownpoliticalreview.org in its reports, the recent disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 and the resulting media spotlight has revealed Malaysia’s fundamental shortcomings and glaring political issues.

While the plane’s disappearance itself is horrendous – in particular for the many families left in limbo – the Malaysian government’s handling of the situation has drawn considerable international disapproval which leads to the dissemination of the propaganda.

In order to deal with the issue of propaganda in connection with the issue of MH370, the government shall be wise to use methods and tactics namely through counter propaganda.

Counterpropaganda is a structure of communication consisting of method in use and messages relayed to resist propaganda which seeks to manipulate action or perspectives among a targeted audience. It is closely linked to propaganda as the two often utilize the same methods to transmit methods to a targeted audience. Counterpropaganda differs from propaganda as it is defensive and responsive to identified propaganda. in addition, counterpropaganda consists of several elements that further differentiate it from propaganda and ensure its efficiency in opposing propaganda messages.

While propaganda messages may not always be straightforward, efficient counterpropaganda commonly only broadcast the truth. Without a doubt, counterpropaganda is generally understood to be the “truthful, honest opposition” to an adversary’s propaganda. Counterpropaganda communicates honest messages for ethical and realistic reasons.

Looking though reporting of the event, the government from the beginning should report the facts related to this incident. Counter propaganda elements should be applied to achieve the best effect. Reporting matters of fact, although filtered, to some extent can relieve speculations made by the public, especially from the families involved. This can create a deficiency or weakness in reporting which leads to the dissemination of wild propaganda, even more so from the opposition.

References:

1. Chomsky, Noam and Herman, Edward. (1988) Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media. New York: Pantheon Books.
2. Cole, Robert. (1996)Propaganda in Twentieth Century War and Politics
3. Lasswell, Harold D.. (1971)Propaganda Technique in World War I. Cambridge, Mass: The M.I.T. Press.
4. Garth Jowett and Victoria O’Donnell, Propaganda and Persuassion, 4th ed. Sage Publications, 7
5. Herbert Romerstein, “Counterpropaganda: We Can’t Do Without It,”] in Waller, ed., Strategic Influence: Public Diplomacy, Counterpropaganda and Political Warfare (IWP Press, 2008), 135.
6. [Frontpost, Nachrichten für Deutsche Soldaten, Herausgeber: Die Amerikanischen Truppen in Westeuropa,] No. 1(March 1945), 3 in Waller, ed., Strategic Influence: Public Diplomacy, Counterpropaganda and Political Warfare (IWP Press, 2008), 144-145.