"Shining generalizations" in the media and a gloomy picture in reality: the use of propaganda as a concealment of the consequences of conflicts

The subject of the study is one of the seven techniques included in the "abc of propaganda" developed in the 1930s in the United States. This technique is called "shining generalizations". The object of the study is publications in the media, where the leaders of foreign countries use this technique as a justification for conducting military operations in other states. "Shining generalizations" is a technique of manipulating people's minds in order to form the necessary public opinion about a particular event through the media. The essence of the technique is that a clear definition of a phenomenon is replaced by an emotional attitude towards it, as a result of which there is a diffusion of conceptual meaning. In the linguistic aspect, the technique of "shining generalizations" is associated with a special relationship between the connotative and denotative planes of utterance. The aim of the work is to show the real consequences of what lies behind the "shining generalizations". The methodological basis of our research is the "ABC of propaganda". The chosen research method is semantic analysis. The results of the study indicate that this technique is widely used in information warfare in foreign countries. For the first time, an attempt is being made from a retrospective point of view to analyze how foreign leaders and the press use it to form a positive opinion among society regarding the conduct of hostilities and their consequences. The results of the study can be used in the further development of theory and practice on the topic of "targeted media manipulation through the media." The conclusions of the study include the following theses: since the 1930s, the technique has not lost its relevance; foreign countries, in particular the United States, widely use it in information warfare; this technique is one of the most powerful in the arsenal of propaganda.