I like to listen to podcasts while I go about my day and I’ve almost never stopped to take notes on any of them because I have things I need to do. However, when I was halfway through a talk by Chase Hughes, a trainer for the US Army Psychological Operations Operators, I pulled out my pen to take notes.

The talk was called, “How to Spot a Psy-op: Separating Manipulation from Genuine News.” I found so much value in it that a few days later I wanted to relisten to take notes on the entire talk – but it was gone.

It was far from an obscure talk – it had two million views when I listened to it on Youtube – and because I had taken notes, I was able to search for the exact title. The only thing I found was someone else who had clipped part of the talk and reposted it on his small channel – now that is also gone.

I have no idea why this was removed – maybe the speaker decided to take it down – but the information was very valuable. It benefits each of us to be a critical analyst of news, rather than a passive consumer of whatever is presented to us, so I’m sharing my notes with you. This isn’t specific to this moment in time; I listened to it several months ago and only now am getting around to sharing the information with you, but it’s relevant to any time.

I regret that when I listened the first time I didn’t make a note of the historical examples he listed with each point he made; that was the main thing I wanted to listen for the second time. Some of the examples were well-known to me, but others I hadn’t heard of and would have liked to look into more.

This talk was given by someone whose expertise was to train military professionals who create psychological operations for the general public in whatever country they operate in. Psyops are a reality, not a conspiracy theory. Understanding that psyops are periodically taking up space in the news, how can you spot them and filter out truth from propaganda?

Below I’m sharing my notes with you – I haven’t added any comments of my own.

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Analyze the source: – is the source credible? If you see sensationalized headlines, leave it. Psyops thrive on sensation and hype. Ask yourself – who owns the media company? Are there connections with pharma, political entities, defense contractors?

Question the timing: does the story I’m looking at right now appear during a major crisis or scandal or upcoming election? Psyops will distract you from bigger issues. This is a huge red flag.

Follow the narrative: are multiple outlets parroting the same language? Psyops use coordinated messaging to reinforce their narrative. Copy/paste phrases – “unprecedented threat”, “undeniable evidence” – if you hear this, be afraid. Something is going in your brain that doesn’t belong there.

Look for emotional triggers: Psyops thrive on pushing your buttons – fear, anger, amazement – if a story feels designed to make you react emotionally, avoid. Don’t finish reading. (FATE model – focus, authority, tribe, emotion)

Check the evidence: are they providing evidence of what is being promoted? Relying on vague claims or anonymous sources?

Ask yourself: with all that is going on, is this going to expand government control or justify new laws?

Analyze coverage patterns – psyops dominate news and drown out other stories. Real news coexists with other reports. If one topic is everywhere while major global events get ignored, you’re in a psyop.

Look for follow ups: real news evolves with more updates. Psyops fade once they serve their purpose. When inflated and sensationalized stories vanish without a follow-up, that is called a distraction.

Look for patterns in how media and government communicate about things. Do they focus on fear, or do they offer solutions that entail giving up freedom or increasing government power? Try to diversify where you get news from.

Ask yourself: 1) who benefits from this narrative? 2) What evidence is being shown and is it verifiable? 3) Why now?

Trust your gut. Does it feel scripted? Does something feel off? Trust your instincts, and follow them up with research.

If you do all of these at once, you will never be manipulated.

The most important thing is to cultivate critical thinking skills. Learn to spot propaganda.

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This was a fascinating talk for me and it helped me understand myself better.

I never had heard of psyops until a few years ago, when someone used the term and I didn’t know what it meant. At times I’ve been very uncomfortable when questioning news that seems off to me while seemingly everyone else was going along with the official version of events.

I didn’t know why I sometimes came to conflicting conclusions about different news events I heard about. I knew I wasn’t a negative or suspicious or paranoid person – sometimes I wonder if I’m too optimistic about human nature – but sometimes I felt like I must be inherently a cynical person to see things as I did.

After hearing this talk, I realized that without having ever heard of psyops or hearing tips like these, over time I’ve employed most of these strategies when listening to or reading news. It’s really just a list of how to be a critical thinker. Do you use any of these tips to analyze the news you see?

Try using these tips as you listen to news, and you’ll empower yourself by developing better critical thinking skills, while increasing your confidence in your own inner voice.

Avivah