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"THE ARGUMENT FROM IGNORANCE for "absence of evidence" isn't necessarily fallacious ... were such an argument to rely imprudently on the lack of research ... it would be considered an informal fallacy whereas the former can be a persuasive way to shift the burden of proof in an argument or debate." http://lnkd.in/d8PwGNJ View in LinkedIn

SPIN TO THE BOTTOM. "Next to hired assassins or hackers, perhaps, PR is often considered the world’s most ungodly career." http://lnkd.in/dbjZamA View in LinkedIn

SPIN TECHNIQUES include: cherry picking; Non-denial denial; Non-apology apology; Mistakes were made; Phrasing in a way that assumes unproven truths; avoiding the question; Burying bad news; Misdirection and diversion. It is important to recognize and flag these methods in very carefully crafted spin-nonsense. http://lnkd.in/dwZnA2S) View in LinkedIn

HITLER ON SPIN: "If you are going to tell a lie, don't tell a little one because it will be recognized as a lie. Tell the biggest and most unbelievable lie. Keep on telling it, and people will think it must be true and believe it. The greater the lie the more effective it is as a weapon." http://www.hotwireprc.com/documents/Public%20Relations%20versus%20Propaganda.pdf View in LinkedIn

TIPTOE THROUGH THE TULIPS. Lots of clever people seek to pull the wool over our eyes with slippery arguments. Knowing some of the card tricks can be invaluable, because in naming the sleight of hand you see it more clearly. And remember, many of the mistruths out there have been crafted by experts with substantial backing to get the messaging right. Here are a few tricks. View in LinkedIn

PROPAGANDA. "In public relations, spin is a form of propaganda, achieved through providing an interpretation of an event or campaign to persuade public opinion in favor or against a certain organization or public figure." https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Spin_(public_relations).html View in LinkedIn

THALIDOMIDE DENIALS. "The dark shadow of thalidomide is still with us. The original catastrophe maimed 20,000 babies and killed 80,000: it remains the greatest manmade global disaster ... the pharmaceutical outrage – it is nothing less – was compounded by a judicial scandal that has suppurated all these years." And still on sale. http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/14/-sp-thalidomide-pill-how-evaded-justice View in LinkedIn

SPIN is sometimes called public relations or more sharply, propaganda. We live in an age where this has become normative. "Edward Bernays has been called the "Father of Spin". Bernays was able to help tobacco and alcohol companies use techniques to make certain behaviors more socially acceptable in the 20th-century United States." http://lnkd.in/dwZnA2S) View in LinkedIn

FRAUD ALERT. Beware of offers of investment, money, urgent deals, and confidential findings of relative's inheritances. I get at least three a week, and they are all "419" scams. View in LinkedIn

SLIPPERY SLOPE UPWARDS. "In the 1970s and 1980s, it was advertising and marketing types who had the ear of the boss. In the 1990s, it was the strategists' turn, while in the noughties it was HR people leading the war for talent who were in favour. Now the comms chief is the individual that the CEO and chairman require to be right behind them." http://lnkd.in/d_VsWte View in LinkedIn