The 'Red Herring' Technique: Brandolini's Asymmetry as a Persuasive Tool

DISCLAIMER: This article presents the author’s personal experiences, observations, and opinions based on his direct knowledge and participation in the described events. All presented facts and assessments are the author’s subjective view of the mechanisms of media and interest groups operating in Poland at the beginning of the 21st century. The article is analytical and journalistic in nature and serves to present broader social mechanisms, not specific accusations against individuals or institutions.

Today I’ll write about the “red herring” technique – media manipulation that I’ve previously discussed in the context of conspiracy theories spread by services as an element of operational games. This time I’d like to return to the times when I worked in the world of public procurement and learned about mechanisms that can destroy a person’s career before the truth comes to light.

The Devil in the Tower

In 2005-2007, I worked as someone handling large investments – I prepared valuations and documentation based on tender specifications (SIWZ), but primarily supervised the process of tender handling and subsequent deliveries. I also represented the company in arbitration court regarding protested tenders.

My assets were intensive use of scanners with new technologies including OCR (which was novelty at the time) and securing company information using Linux systems – Slackware, SUSE, Debian. At university I had a lot of manipulation, eristics, but primarily methodology of sciences and logic for lawyers. This allowed me to very efficiently use advantages in creative application of Public Procurement Law. I knew every nuance and immediately saw process deficiencies. My basic work tool was a phone with a camera, with which I not only gathered photographic evidence documenting processes, but primarily photographed entire competitor offers (which I had the right to do) and collected unique knowledge about their work, prices, and shortcomings.

At this stage it was already clear that brazenly rigged tenders for “Janusz,” who sold mineral water but was supposed to equip offices from furniture to computers, would no longer pass. I had photographs of mostly unsigned offers, unfiled ZUS certificates, and missing criminal record certificates.

This way I won many tenders – it was completely legal and dismantled elements of local arrangements from within. Something like the devil appearing in Edgar Allan Poe’s story, who in the town of Vondervotteimittiss strikes the 13th hour at 12 o’clock, causing chaos and disrupting perfect rhythm. This was possible until the law was amended by PiS MP Zawisza, who liberalized protest issues. Previously, protests greatly complicated procedures, which in cases of potential legal violations gave advantage to bidders from outside the system. Unfortunately, EU subsidies and spending deadline regimes forced a more liberal approach to these issues. Which of course radically closed the pool of winners, but by then I was already working elsewhere…

Getting to Know the Medical Environment and the Story of Mr. X

Winning many tenders in Lower Silesia for hospital equipment, at some point I met people from the Ministry of Health investment departments responsible for hospital reform. I then met Mr. X*, who supervised deliveries and prepared high-level tender specifications.

The Day That Changed Everything

One day in the office, traditionally going through the press review (we subscribed to all newspapers), we opened “Newsweek Polska.” On three pages was presented a corruption story about Mr. X, who allegedly was supposed to be a bribe-taker and take money for rigging tenders.

The entire article was garnished with photos taken from behind bushes with a telephoto lens – showing a man entering a single-family house. If you think about it, such photos can be taken of anyone. The text contained controversial information about renovations carried out in this house. There was also information that this person supposedly had a swimming pool – which, as later turned out, was completely untrue.

From my information, this person was one day away from becoming Secretary of State. Despite coming from conservative circles around PiS, Civic Platform also appreciated this person’s capabilities.

Consequences and Truth Behind the Scenes

Immediate Effect

The “red herring” technique worked perfectly – the person was immediately fired and stigmatized. Nobody wanted to deal with them.

Real Motives

From a direct post-mortem conversation with person X, I learned that behind the false information was probably a lobby of medical companies that they blocked and from whom they refused to accept bribes for rigging tenders for medical equipment.

The context of this story becomes even more significant in light of later revealed corruption scandals in Polish healthcare, such as the Philips case, which in 2013 was fined $4.5 million by the US SEC for corruption in tenders for medical equipment for Polish hospitals in 1999-2006. I’m not 100% certain, but it seems to me this is a further ricochet of that affair. Because I have information that Mr. X refused “cooperation” with a global corporation supplying medical equipment.

Pyrrhic Victory

Mr. X sued the editor and journalist (civil lawsuit). The case lasted 2 years and he ultimately won, but it really gave him nothing – his career was broken forever, and the bribe-taker label followed him for years.

Contemporary Application: The Nawrocki Case

Why am I writing about this? Because we have incredible media pressure on Nawrocki-the-gangster and I wanted to discuss this in the context of revelations published by onet.pl. I have the impression we’re dealing with a similar “red herring” mechanism. It’s striking that here too the author is the media conglomerate Ringier Axel Springer Polska.

It’s worth recalling Brandolini’s Law (principle of asymmetric nonsense) – formulated in 2013 by Italian programmer Alberto Brandolini, stating:

The amount of energy needed to refute nonsense is an order of magnitude greater than that needed to produce it. wikipedia

This law perfectly explains why the “red herring” technique is so effective. Producing a false, sensational article takes journalists relatively little time and relies on informants, but refuting it in court takes years and often comes too late to repair the damage done.

Article Update

Commenters pointed out the lack of comprehensive analysis of the onet.pl article. Well, that’s true, which is why this post appeared in the marginalia section, where I don’t write extensive analyses. In the case of the old matter, we have a court ruling confirming the falsehood. In the case of this matter and articles appearing a week before elections (see screenshot), there are only my suppositions per analogiam to the application of the “newsroom on the phone” mechanism that Twardoch mentioned in a podcast with Stawiszyński (I’ll be discussing it in the coming days). Will a comprehensive analysis of pimping accusations based on mysterious informants a week before the second round of elections really bring anything deeper?

I think people observing the political situation in Poland don’t need to be shown the growing scale of contempt, where professors, cultural figures, intellectuals compete in what invectives to use for people who don’t vote as they want them to. Of course, all this in the name of democracy and freedom. I’ll say right away, I’m not a Nawrocki voter. However, I argue that the persuasive methods used in the current campaign, where they showed the studio apartment affair, care contracts for Mr. Jerzy, then connections with the criminal world, hooligan arrangements, to finish the topic a week before elections with pimping charges, in my opinion at this stage don’t require in-depth analysis. Turn on critical thinking yourselves.

I’m not saying these charges aren’t justified. I’m analyzing persuasive methods and the use of so-called conspiracy rumors to build larger conspiracy stories. I’m counting on readers’ understanding that despite repeatedly immersing myself in the world of madness and conspiracy theories, I’ll treat the pimping topic briefly, leaving an open field for interpretation. However, soon we’ll be able to assess whether such elite persuasion works on ordinary people, or whether the story of a block-dwelling boy who had various acquaintances, shrewdly like everyone in this country secured himself by taking over an apartment, got a doctorate, became IPN president and fights elites with brutal methods is more attractive to them. That’s the counter-story and soon we’ll have the big test.

I’m also aware that readers demand greater analytical value and fewer opinions, but it’s hard in such a polarized world not to notice persuasive methods that strengthen accelerationist movements in the contemporary world - in my opinion contrary to the authors’ intentions of this message.

Epilogue: The Price of Fighting the System

Returning in memory to the times of my nerve-wracking work… Shortly after those events, I left procurement, which provided very good earnings and adrenaline rush – especially when implementing something for Military University of Technology, Supreme Audit Office, or Ministry of Health. However, this world completely devastates the psyche.

In my opinion, Mr. X’s story shows how powerful the mechanisms of destroying people who stand in the way of corrupt arrangements can be. Media can become a tool in the hands of interest groups, and even winning a court case comes too late to repair destroyed reputation and career. For me, just after defending my master’s thesis, when I read completely fabricated things in a renowned weekly, I experienced real shock. Since then I don’t touch anything that comes from this source. Reputation fell below 0.

Presidential Election Series:

I also recommend my other articles on the 2025 presidential elections where I dealt with controversial topics:

POSTS: Stolen Election Theory: Progressive Media Trapped by Confirmation Bias

MARGINALIA: Snus, Podcasts and Predictions That Came True

The article presents the author’s personal experiences and his subjective assessment of media mechanisms and their impact on public life in Poland.

Sources: Own photo, July 8, 2007. During press review, watching TV on mobile phone.

Corruption trial begins in Silesian health service

Philips accepts penalty imposed by Americans for corruption in Polish hospitals

Wikipedia Brandolini’s Law

• Manipulation
• Red Herring