Fake News: Disinformation, Deception, and Magical Thinking Over Time

Appeal to Emotion

Disinformation spreads easily when it appeals to human emotion, and this phenomenon is a prominent factor in several of the stories. 

I. Anti-vaccine activists have attempted to frighten parents into believing their children would die from inoculations with stories, anecdotes, and images such as those on this page.

II. The cigarette industry worked aggressively to appeal to women through linking cigarette smoking to a desire to be equal to men. 
See the early advertisement, Light a Torch for Freedom:





III. In Winsted, Connecticut, the media used powerful words to frighten residents about the dangers of the Wild Man. See for instance this news headline including the description, "His eyes swim in red fire." Read the entire news clip.







 

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