On the Principles of Proletarian Press
The instruments of information dissemination have played an important role in the history of communism. From the illegal printing presses that helped spread the powerful word of Bolshevism throughout the Russian empire, to the pamphlets and leaflets that stirred revolutionary sentiments amongst American steelworkers in the 1930’s, the role of the proletarian press has always served as a special tool for communists across the globe.
The principles for which proletarian press ought to distinguish itself from the bourgeois press (mainstream media outlets) is the latter’s dependence on private capital as the ultimate benchmark for truth. Media conglomerates that control print, broadcast, and online news sources decide the content, format, and model of their publications and materials on the basis of what will successfully generate a profit – independent of principle or the truth. When the New York Times sees decreases in subscriptions or advertisement revenue, then they adjust the content of their paper accordingly. This is an expected and necessary maneuver for any business to exist in any market, even one as dominated by so few contenders as the media.
The proletarian press, on the other hand, shares none of its subservience to the interests of investors or shareholders. Its commitment is solely to the interests of the working class. And, it understands its commitment to violently shredding the bold lies of the bourgeoisie, and the system of liberal democracy – the most hostile elements to the working class. With the imbalance of an arsenal of resources at the disposal of the bourgeoisie, the proletarian press is at a significant material disadvantage against its oppressors. Thus, in light of this disadvantage, the proletarian press is justifiable in using extraordinary measures in order to maximize the effectiveness of its message. This includes employing a malleable and flexible definition of truth.
As part of its arsenal in order to properly arm the proletariat with the appropriate degree of class-consciousness in order to foster hostile attitudes towards the oppressor class, the proletarian press must use truth as a means to an end. The means are devised in a way to foster only one end – the overthrow of the bourgeoisie and the private-capital system, and the establishment of socialism and the dominance of the Communist Party. The truth, insofar as it exists in and of itself, is irrelevant in matters of politics.
The principled approach to journalism, the press, and political communications in general for the proletariat must be inextricably linked to the interests of the Communist Party; the vanguard of the working class. The manipulation of information to serve the political objectives of the Communist Party, vis-à-vis the proletariat, is the sole objective for proletarian press. These means can be successfully employed through the purposeful manipulation of logic, the use of exaggerated information, concealing sources, focusing on the emotional (rather than rational) responses of the audience, adapting the context of information to the relevant conditions and biases of the audience, taking advantage of preconceived prejudices of your target audience, convey the message in a way most receptive to your targeted audience. The specific methodology for accomplishing this has been elaborated on by political scientists, journalists, political communications specialists, and others so I will only mention them briefly here. Manipulation of raw data can best be conceived through generalities without compromising credibility. For instance, if General Motors lays off 17,000 manufacturing employees it’s perfectly acceptable to round-up to “roughly” 20,000. The language in which one conveys this information can be easily adapted to best suit the author’s political needs, too. For instance, instead of “laying off,” the author could indicate that “in an attempt to cut costs and increase profits, the General Motors corporation is increasing the ranks of the nation’s unemployed by nearly 20,000.” Think pragmatically – the goal is to raise consciousness of the ranks of the working class, and in turn, increase their sympathies with the communist party, for whom the working class is the ultimate source of its strength.
Other techniques that may be utilized include failure to disclose sources, either of the information provided or the publication itself. This is especially useful when dealing with statistics that may be otherwise difficult to verify. For instance, consider the following headline: “local law enforcement infiltrates labor union; attempt to undermine workers’ rights.” This headline is useful on a number of levels. First, its quick to the point and generalized. Secondly, if read by a receptive audience, will have rouse an intentional emotional response to the violation of a labor organization’s ability to organize. Third, if the reader is enthralled enough to continue to read more (as is the intention of any headline), then there is a good chance their rationality will forgive the fact that no real source is indicated in the article itself.
Obviously one must be careful not to destroy credibility, either of the publication and/or the party, but nonetheless such tactics are employed everyday in the mainstream media and can be extremely effective when used by a skilled propagandist.
If the unfortunate happens, and credibility is damaged, the consequences may be extremely harmful to the Party. Therefore, any form of proletarian press ought to exercise extreme caution when deliberately manipulating information in order to politicize the proletariat. When used properly false information, subtle propaganda techniques, and deceitful rhetoric can be an effective tool against the bourgeoisie.