Yesterday, Kuku Radio aired a special edition of Propastop.ee, with topic-related questions prepared by our editors.
Answering the questions were two teams: in one, strategic communication experts Peeter Tali and Eerik-Niiles Kross; in the other, journalists Reimo Sildvee and Dannar Leitmaa.
The opponents were evenly matched, and the contest ended in a tie: 3.5 : 3.5.
We will publish the questions prepared by Propastop in two parts in written form, but of course, it is also possible to listen to the broadcast afterward.
The topics of the questions were propaganda, disinformation, campaigns, PSYOP (psychological operation), and neologisms.
1. PSYOP, or psychological operation
The Militerm glossary defines this as:
A set of planned communication activities aimed at influencing the attitudes and behavior of a designated target group.
The Finland-Swede Johan Furuhjelm was Russia’s second-to-last governor of Alaska from 1859 to 1864. When he arrived in Alaska, a major problem for the Russian authorities was the discontent of the local population. Because of this, some Russian settlers had even been killed.
By chance, Governor Furuhjelm was presented with a rare opportunity to pacify the Yupik tribe. He threatened the Yupik that if they did not obey his orders, he would take something away from them. The threat was carried out, and it frightened the Yupik so much that from then on, they obeyed the governor without resistance. What did Furuhjelm “take away”?
Answer: The Moon.
Knowing that a lunar eclipse was approaching, Furuhjelm used this knowledge to scare the indigenous people.
2. Propaganda
Glossary of Politics and Governance:
A political communication technique whose main methods are crude oversimplification, creating a monopoly on truth, and constant repetition.
In 1934, the Soviet Union built a giant propaganda airplane, intended to bring socialist ideology to the people from the air through both words and images.
At the time, it was the largest aircraft in the world, with eight engines. It was equipped with a powerful radio station, cinema equipment, and high-capacity printing presses.
Unfortunately, the aircraft met the fate typical in the Soviet Union — they aimed for the best, but it turned out as always. In 1935, during an air show, the propaganda plane collided with a small fighter. Forty-nine people were killed, making it the deadliest air disaster in the world at that time.
Whose name did this aircraft bear? The person in question remains known and respected worldwide to this day. Their intellectual legacy has been repeatedly drawn upon in Estonia in the 21st century.
Answer: The writer Maxim Gorky.
His plays, such as “The Lower Depths” and others, have also been staged in this century at the Drama Theatre, the City Theatre, Von Krahl Theatre, and elsewhere.
3. Desinformatsion
Militerm definition:
Deliberately false or misleading information that serves the purposes of its creator or disseminator.
The writer Carolina Pihelgas won the inaugural prize of the Estonian Women’s Literary Society this year — worth as much as €15,000 — for her novel Lõikejoon (Line of Separation).
The protagonist of Lõikejoon is a woman who travels alone to the countryside to put an end to a relationship that has turned toxic. But at the end of the novel, her future plans are disrupted by a decision made by the Estonian government.
This decision has sparked widespread public opposition. That opposition has been exploited for their own purposes — and heavily amplified with disinformation — by both anti-vaccine activists and pro-Kremlin interest groups.
Where is the setting of Carolina Pihelgas’s novel?
Answer: Next to the Nursipalu training area.
Due to the expansion of the training area, the protagonist is stunned by the news that her country home will be expropriated.
4. Resilience
The Militerm glossary defines this as:
The ability of a system, person, community, or society to cope with threats caused by humans or by nature.
Lauri Pihkala was a legendary Finnish sports figure. In the early 20th century, he competed unsuccessfully in the Olympic Games in high jump, discus throw, and the 800-meter run. During the Finnish Civil War, Pihkala served in a propaganda unit, distributing leaflets — for example, via ski patrols — calling on the Reds to surrender.
However, his life’s work became the development of national defense will and resilience between the two world wars. At the time, Pihkala was the sports director of Finland’s Defense League. He promoted skiing and orienteering to physically train Finnish soldiers.
In 1920, he introduced to Finland, from scratch, a sport that became a national pastime. Pihkala promoted this sport because it trained future Finnish soldiers not only physically but also psychologically. The 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games showcased the Finns’ love for the sport as a demonstration event. Today, it has tens of thousands of enthusiasts in Finland.
Answer: Finnish baseball (pesäpallo).
Pihkala significantly adapted the rules of Finnish baseball compared to American baseball. The sport develops soldiers’ ability to sprint and to throw a grenade accurately. But in baseball, one must also struggle for the game — in other words, for survival.
5. Campaign
According to Militerm, this means:
One or more interrelated operations planned and carried out to achieve a strategic objective.
When Theodore Roosevelt ran for president for the third time in 1912, he had an advertisement printed in three million copies. Only afterward was it discovered that all the prints used photographs from the company Moffett Studios without permission.
Under copyright law, Moffett could have demanded compensation of up to one dollar for each copy — which would have meant an enormous expense.
One of Roosevelt’s campaign financiers solved the situation ingeniously. He sent Moffett a telegram posing a clever question — something that could also be called a tempting offer.
What did he ask?
As a result of this question, Roosevelt saved millions of dollars.
Answer: Roosevelt’s financier asked, “How much are you willing to pay for us to use your photographs in our campaign prints?” — in other words, offering Moffett the chance to advertise his company through a presidential campaign.
Moffett replied ironically but accepted the offer, and Roosevelt’s campaign budget was saved.
