Card stacking
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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. Most likely used in persuasive speeches.
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.
The phenomenon is subject-matter neutral and has wide application, Whenever a broad spectrum of facts exist, appearances can be rigged by highlighting some facts and ignoring others. The audience may not recognize the bias of card stacking either, because they have no other access to the facts not reported. Card stacking is often a tool of an advocacy group or those with a specific agenda. A feminist group might focus exclusively on violence of men against women, for example, and ignore all cases of violence by women against men, as if none exist.
Card stacking especially becomes a problem in more objective writing such as in news stories and scholarly works.[1].
[edit] Examples
- Assume a newspaper editor had a strong personal opinion on an issue being discussed widely in an upcoming political season. Should this issue ever be debated among legislators, the editor might publish articles and editorials that ignore all mention of the side of the issue the editor does not favor, and report only on stories associated with the favored side of the issue instead. This sort of card stacking could go on for long periods and influence public opinion on the particular issue.
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