NEWS

Picking apart propaganda: Past and present
Join Index in an underground nuclear bunker for an exploration of propaganda past and present, as part of Essex Book Festival's "The Nuclear Option"
09 Jan 18
The Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker at Kelvedon Hatch, in the Borough of Brentwood in the English county of Essex, is a large underground bunker maintained during the cold war as a potential regional government headquarters.

The Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker at Kelvedon Hatch, in the Borough of Brentwood in the English county of Essex, is a large underground bunker maintained during the cold war as a potential regional government headquarters.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”97306″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]Join Index on Censorship in an underground nuclear bunker for an exploration of propaganda past and present, as part of Essex Book Festival’s “The Nuclear Option”, a mini-festival taking place after-hours in the Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker, a labyrinthine evening of talks, workshops, performances and screenings.

Built in the 1950s, the bunker would have been home to government and military leaders, including possibly even the prime minister, in the event of a cold war nuclear attack. The perfect setting for this panel discussion by Index on Censorship bringing together leading voices looking at the different stories from history, technology and media about how and why propaganda is used to persuade the public.

Speakers include author Jamie Bartlett (Radicals, The Dark Net, Orwell vs the Terrorists) detecting new cunning methods of misleading, journalist David Aaronovitch, who knows first hand about how party propaganda works, growing up in a British Communist family (Party Animals: My Family and Other Communists) and journalist and writer Xinran (The Good Women of China) who challenged Chinese Communist Party propaganda and taboos as the presenter of the first late night talk show aimed at women in China. The session will be chaired by Rachael Jolley, editor of Index on Censorship magazine, which published a special edition looking at propaganda techniques through the ages and how they have affected public understanding.

To complement the panel discussion, Index have partnered with Essex University drama department and the Lakeside Theatre to create an immersive performance, ‘Propaganda: Hits from History’ tracing the political rhetoric that makes up propaganda, with some surprisingly persuasive speeches.

Your £10 ticket entitles you to access the evening panels and discussions from 5:30-9pm, more details here. A separate entrance fee of £7.50 payable in cash is required for entrance to the venue and includes a tour of the bunker.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][staff name=”David Aaronovitch” profile_image=”95061″]Chair of the Index on Censorship board of trustees, Times columnist David Aaronovitch is a British journalist, broadcaster, and author.[/staff][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][staff name=”Jamie Bartlett” profile_image=”97290″]Jamie Bartlett is a journalist and tech blogger for The Telegraph and director of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media for Demos.[/staff][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][staff name=”Xinran” profile_image=”95586″]Xinran is a popular radio personality in China, who had a call-in programme named Words on the Night Breeze from 1989 to 1997. She is also the author of several bestselling books, including The Good Women of China, China Witness and Buy Me the Sky.[/staff][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][staff name=”Rachael Jolley” profile_image=”90098″]Rachael Jolley is the editor of Index on Censorship magazine.[/staff][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

When: Sunday 25 March 2018, 5:30-9pm

Where: Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker, Kelvedon Hatch, Brentwood, CM14 5TL. A free coach will run from Southend to the bunker and back. Booking essential.

Tickets: £10 for access to all events in the Nuclear Option. Separate entrance fee of £7.50 payable in cash at the door is required to access the venue. Includes tour of the bunker.

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