[War & Business] Ttaengjeon News and Nazism

A photo of Adolf Hitler hugging a Jewish girl as part of his election strategy during the 1933 German general election
[Image source= Alexander Historical Auction website]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] In the past, biased government broadcast news in the 1980s was called "Ttaengjeon News." The term originated because the news anchor would start the propaganda broadcast immediately after the "Ttaeng" sound effect signaling the start of the time signal broadcast. It has become a term mainly used to criticize uncritical reporting by state-run media under authoritarian regimes in Asia.

However, the concept of Ttaengjeon News and even the time signal sound effect itself were originally created in Germany. The person who mandated the inclusion of the sound effect in the time signal broadcast was Joseph Goebbels, the head of propaganda for the Nazi Party. Goebbels established it as a radio broadcasting principle, arguing from a psychological perspective that the sound momentarily focuses people's attention. This sound effect, first introduced in 1933, is still widely used worldwide today. The strategy of reporting policies every hour through news was also first attempted by the Nazi Party.

Not only Ttaengjeon News but various propaganda strategies used by the Nazi Party have greatly influenced modern elections. The practice of politicians visiting markets during election seasons to take photos with ordinary citizens or hugging children at kindergartens and schools originated from election strategies first conceived by the Nazi Party in history.

Until then, male politicians in Europe were strongly associated with the image of generals leading wars to victory. However, after World War I, the Nazi Party identified that voters who had grown up not even knowing the faces of fathers who died in the war preferred the image of a caring father, and they focused their strategy accordingly.

In fact, during the 1933 general election, Adolf Hitler was depicted on election posters not as a powerful dictator guarded by a large SS escort but as a family man hugging kindergarten children or puppies. The Nazi Party even created the world's first animal protection law and immediately issued an enforcement decree after winning the election. Prohibitions against animal abuse and funerals for pets were among the ideas derived from the Nazi Party's election strategy.

Major issues central to the Nazi Party's core platform, such as foreign invasion wars and the Holocaust, were not prominently highlighted before coming to power because they were deemed unhelpful for winning votes. To appeal to the centrist voters who decided the election outcome, the Nazi Party worked hard to project a stable and caring image of Hitler. This election strategy is still regarded worldwide as a formula for victory in elections.

Goebbels' words, "The basis of propaganda lies in breathing with the masses," remain profoundly meaningful. Voters worldwide, having learned from the failures of German citizens through history, face the challenge of carefully examining the true nature hidden within various pledges and policies at every election before casting their votes.