Flag Waving
Invoking national or group pride so that the argument becomes a loyalty test rather than a question of fact.
Flag waving converts a question of fact into a question of loyalty. The argument for the policy becomes that supporting it is what a patriot, a believer, or a member in good standing does — which means doubt about the policy quietly becomes doubt about you. Nothing in the appeal touches whether the policy will work, and that is the point: the reader's answer is now about identity rather than about consequences.
We record it more than 1,100 times, at almost exactly one instance per article — the least repeated of the common techniques. It is usually a single closing appeal rather than a running theme. Just over half of the articles where we record it also carry an appeal to values, which is the closest relative; we separate the two by what is invoked. Flag waving names the group. An appeal to values names a principle.
Patriotic subject matter is not the technique. An article about a national holiday is full of national pride and is not doing this at all. Nor is a population under occupation or attack asserting self-determination doing it — that is a description of what is at stake, not a loyalty test, and treating it as a technique would confuse the weaker party's account of its own position with an operation.
What we flag is the author adopting the frame. Political speech is saturated with national appeal and reporting that speech is the job, so a quoted call to rally is the subject, not the technique. It counts when the reporter's own voice makes the case — when the paragraph that ought to explain why an escalation is necessary instead says the nation cannot be seen to back down. Under the power-direction rule that construction draws the most attention when the state doing the escalating is the militarily stronger one. And where a weaker belligerent is armed by a superpower backer, we ask who the language serves: rallying its own defence stays protected, while rallying its offensive escalation serves the backer.
What we have recorded
| Instances recorded | 1,170 |
|---|---|
| Articles containing it | 1,120 |
| Share of all recorded techniques | 2.5% |
| Average manipulation score where present | 55.4 (corpus average 45.9) |
Outlets where we have recorded it most
| Outlet | Instances recorded |
|---|---|
| israelnationalnews.com | 119 |
| rt.com | 83 |
| ynetnews.com | 81 |
| dailywire.com | 71 |
| foxnews.com | 56 |
Counts reflect the articles we have analyzed, which are not a representative sample of any outlet's output.
Recent examples
"Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The Taiwan question is entirely China's internal affair. How to resolve it is a matter for the Chinese ourselves and Japan is in no place to interfere"
Appeals to national sovereignty and collective identity by emphasizing territorial integrity and exclusive national authority over Taiwan, using patriotic framing to delegitimize foreign commentary.
China slams Japan's new defense white paper"DHS is committed to its mission of defending the homeland, protecting the American people, and enforcing the law."
Uses patriotic and nationalistic language—'defending the homeland,' 'protecting the American people'—to align immigration enforcement with national identity and security, appealing to group loyalty and pride rather than focusing solely on procedural or legal aspects.
Exclusive: ICE Deports Illegals Convicted of Murder, Rape, Animal Abuse"Leipzig was the site of another attempted attack in 2024"
Implies a pattern of external threats targeting German infrastructure, subtly appealing to national pride and vigilance by framing the incident as part of a larger assault on national security, thus reinforcing a sense of national vulnerability and resolve.
Bomb Drone Intercepted at German Airport in Alleged Multi-Vector Attack"Muslim countries should recognize that Washington is using their capital, wealth, critical infrastructure, and strategic resources 'as a defensive shield for its worn-out army'"
Invokes regional and religious identity ('Muslim countries') to foster in-group loyalty and resistance to external (Western) influence, framing national interests in terms of collective Muslim dignity and autonomy.
Regional states serving as US shield will ‘burn in fire of war’: Top Iranian commander"Leonid Slutsky, the chair of the State Duma’s international affairs committee, said Zelensky’s plan had backfired on Ukraine, only leading to intensifying retaliatory strikes. He warned that Kiev now risks facing its hardest winter yet – a 'portal to hell,' he said, that Zelensky himself had opened."
The phrase 'portal to hell' is a nationalistic, emotionally charged metaphor used to dramatize the consequences of Ukrainian actions, invoking a sense of national suffering and moral condemnation, aligning with Russian patriotic narrative.
How Zelensky’s 40-day ‘influence operation’ against Russia fell apart"Alongside Ukraine, we will not yield to either fatigue or intimidation"
The statement positions France and the EU as steadfast allies of Ukraine in a moral struggle, invoking collective resolve and national pride in standing firm against aggression, which appeals to group identity and solidarity as justification for continued support.
Russian ballistic missile attack kills 17, injures dozens in Kyiv and surrounding area as rescue efforts continue"the fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory has never changed"
Appeals to national unity and territorial integrity, core elements of Chinese nationalist identity, to reinforce the legitimacy of the PRC's position on Taiwan, using patriotic sentiment as a persuasive tool.
Xinhua Commentary: Vibrant cross-Strait exchanges expose absurdity of DPP's scaremongering"Supporting our communities and working alongside local law enforcement is a responsibility we take seriously."
The statement appeals to communal responsibility and civic duty, aligning ICE’s actions with broader patriotic or civic values. It frames immigration enforcement not just as a legal duty but as a moral contribution to community safety and national order.
EXCLUSIVE: Heroic ICE Officers Rescue 2-Year-Old Roaming The Streets AloneCommon questions
Is writing about national pride flag waving?
No. An article about a national holiday is full of national pride and is not doing this. The technique is turning a question of fact into a loyalty test, so that doubting the policy reads as doubting the group.
Does a country under attack asserting self-determination count?
No. A population under occupation or attack describing what is at stake is not running a loyalty test, and treating it as one would confuse the weaker party's account of its own position with an operation.
What about a quoted speech full of patriotic appeal?
That is the subject being reported. Political speech is saturated with national appeal and covering it is the job. We flag the reporter's own voice adopting the frame, where an explanation of necessity is replaced by an appeal to national honour.
How does flag waving differ from an appeal to values?
Flag waving names the group; an appeal to values names a principle. They are close relatives and often co-occur: just over half of the articles where we record flag waving also carry an appeal to values.
Other Justification techniques
Check an article for flag waving and 22 other techniques.
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