Propaganda — Who, Us? The Australian Government ‘Terror Kit’

Abstract

This study tests allegations that the Australian government's 2003 ‘terror kit’ was propaganda. Because propaganda's definition and function are contested, content analysis was trialled as a method of clarifying propaganda detection. A propaganda index was developed using both manual and computerised coding, and while each method had limits, together they produced reliable and valid results. Measured against the index, Howard's letter scored a 62 per cent propaganda rating.

Fear Appeals in Political Rhetoric about Terrorism: An Analysis of Speeches by Australian Prime Minister Howard

“…In late December the Government launched a $15 million antiterrorism campaign to increase awareness and vigilance against terrorism and to encourage the reporting of “suspicious behavior” (Tilley, 2004; Williams, 2003a). The campaign slogan “Be Alert not Alarmed” featured on television advertisements and in an information mail out to 7.2 million Australians ( Sydney Morning Herald , December 28, 2002).…”

“…Prime Minister Howard has also explicitly disavowed fear as a tool for political purposes: “I don't want Australians to become frightened, I don't want Australians to stop living their ordinary lives, if that happens then the terrorists win” (cited in Morris, 2002, December 28). This was also the theme of the Australian government's $15 million public information campaign in 2002—“Be alert but not alarmed” (see Tilley, 2004).…”

“…The use of rhetoric that induces fear is hardly the sort of political strategy that is associated with classic attempts to mobilize war‐fighting efforts such as Churchill's famous speeches to the British people in the 1940s. The allegations of a fear campaign continue despite explicit disavowals of the politics of fear by the political leaders accused of this tactic (Bush, 2001, September 20; Morris, 2002, December 28), and the existence of official policies in countries such as Australia that promote the idea that citizens should be “Alert but not Alarmed” (see Tilley, 2004).…”

“…Recently however, qualitative research methods have been used to deconstruct the political rhetoric of leaders such as George W. Bush using: critical discourse analysis (de Beaugrande, 2004); membership categorization analysis (Leudar, Marsland, & Nekvapil, 2004); intertextual analysis of Bush and previous American presidents (Lazar & Lazar, 2004); discourse‐historical accounts of speeches made throughout history (Graham, Keenan, & Dowd, 2004); and textual analysis of enemy image construction (Merskin, 2004). Content analysis has also been used to explore the Canadian state's construction of risk and terrorism (van Brunschot & Sherley, 2005); Bush's rhetoric and media coverage pre‐ and post‐9/11 (Bligh, Kohles, & Meindl, 2004); and the degree to which the Australian government's “terror kits” could be classified as propaganda (Tilley, 2004).…”

Perspectives of communication in the Australian public sector

“…While there has been considerable focus on the subjects of political communication and propaganda (L'Etang, 2006; Moloney, 2006; Weaver et al , 2006; Tilley, 2004; Terrill, 2000; Grattan, 1998), there has been less focus on the apolitical function of communication undertaken by governments and the public servant's role within it. The term “government communication” is used in this paper to describe the apolitical or non‐partisan communication activities of the executive arm of government concerning policy and operations.…”