Card stacking
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Card stacking is a propaganda technique that seeks to manipulate audience perception of an issue by emphasizing one side and repressing another, for example by creating media events that emphasize a certain view, by using one-sided testimonial, or by making sure critics are not heard.
The term originated from the magician's gimmick of "Stacking the deck", which involves presenting a deck of cards that appears to have been randomly-shuffled but which is, in fact, in a pre-conceived and logical order. The magician knows the order and is able to predict or control the outcome of the trick; the audience is unaware of the gimmick. In poker a deck can be 'stacked' so certain hands are dealt to certain players.
