Propaganda Techniques

muddy the waters - bringing up irrelevant facts to confuse or complicate an issue, which may otherwise be relatively simple and easy to understand.

This technique is used to create confusion or ambiguity. By introducing extraneous or tangential information, the speaker can distract from the main issue and make it harder for the audience to grasp the actual facts or the simplicity of the issue at hand.

20:59: muddy the waters

- bringing up irrelevant facts to confuse or complicate an issue, which may otherwise be relatively simple and easy to understand.
: Youngkin brings up the Texas abortion law and answers the question for the Texas law, rather than address the proposed abortion law in question.

18:58: muddy the waters

- bringing up irrelevant facts to confuse or complicate an issue, which may otherwise be relatively simple and easy to understand.
: Trump brings up prior U.S. intervention, Nicholson's job performance, the meaning of "arming," and Russia's history in Afghanistan, rather than address whether Russia should be held accountable for arming the Taliban.

22:45: muddy the waters

- bringing up irrelevant facts to confuse or complicate an issue, which may otherwise be relatively simple and easy to understand.
: Conway brings up examples of subjective opinion and cherry picking, rather than address an objective fact like inaugural crowd size.

Interviews related to muddy the waters

Dr. Cailin O'Connor explains how propagandists "fight science with science" to muddy the waters and raise doubt.

Producer: Lauren Shields
Published: September 16, 2020

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muddy the waters - bringing up irrelevant facts to confuse or complicate an issue, which may otherwise be relatively simple and easy to understand.