Module 6

Detecting Propaganda
What is an Assertion?

It is a stylistic approach or technique

involving a strong declaration, a forceful
or confident and positive statement
regarding a belief or fact.
Claim of Fact
• It is an assertion of a condition that exists, will exist, or has existed. It
is supported by verifiable facts or data such as statistics or
testimonies; hence, there is potential for controversy, conflict, or
conversion.
• Claims of fact must be specific as to time, place, people involved and
situation.
• To qualify claims of fact, the following markers are used: generally,
usually, probably, as a rule.
Examples

• Signs and symptoms of a medical

emergency
As a rule, drooping of the face, weakness of the
arm, and difficulty of speech signal a stroke.
• Analysis and interpretation of an
investigation
Generally, excessive use of gadgets has caused
the steady decline in the study habits of
children and teenagers.
Claim of Policy
• It is an assertion that specific plans or courses of action should be
instituted as solutions to problems. It is often procedural and/or
organized.
• At times, a series of questions in response to a claim of fact is a claim
of policy.
• The following markers are used to formulate claims of policy: should,
ought to, must, or use strong verbs.
Examples:
1. For individuals showing signals of stroke:
Claim 1: Call 911 right away when you observe signals of a stroke.
Claim 2: Apply first aid treatment right away when you observe
signals of a stroke.
Claim 3: Bring the patient to the hospital right away when you
observe signals of a stroke.
2. For excessive use of gadgets:
Claim 1: Band gadgets in school.
Claim 2: Set schedule for gadget use.
Claim 3: Do not allow children and teenagers to use
gadgets.
Claim of Value
• Usually, people disagree about beauty or morality. A claim of value is
an attempt to prove the desirability or undesirability of something, or
if something is good, bad, or wrong. It expresses approval or
disapproval.
• Claims of value also involve taste (or preference) in art, literature,
music, film, food, etc.
• The following markers are used for claims of value: ‘It is better to…”,
“It is unethical that…”, “It is wrong to…”. “It is more beautiful than…”
Example:
• Argument: The world has sped up over the past generation;
technology has gotten more complicated and ideas more complex.
Hence, higher math like Algebra should be introduced as early as
grades 7 and 8. However, children in grades 7 and 8 are experiencing
plateau growth. They are not in their optimal years of learning, thus
the growing number of failing students.
• Claim of Value: It is better to introduce higher math like Algebra in
grade 10 instead.