Exposing Bias, Disinformation, and Hate Speech in Educational Materials

Manifestations of hate speech can be observed in overt acts of homophobia, bullying, and race/ethnicity-based discrimination. While these are clear examples, hate speech can also manifest in more subtle yet equally harmful ways, such as deceit, bias, half-truths, and systemic disinformation, which may infiltrate protected spaces like educational institutions. One notable example is PragerU, an organization accused of bending historical and scientific facts and spreading disinformation about critical socialissues through its controversial K-12 teaching materials. This paper, utilizing the Pyramid of Hate framework alongside Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis, and Wodak’s argumentation strategy from Discourse Historical Analysis, examines the extent to which PragerU’s visual and verbal narratives contribute to the normalization and legitimization of biased ideologies, potentially fueling divisive discourse. By deconstructing multimodal elements such as language, imagery, and framing techniques, this studyexplores how specific rhetorical strategies evoke emotional responses, reinforce stereotypes, and subtly propagate exclusionary or discriminatory views. Additionally, by mapping this content onto the Pyramid of Hate framework, the research aims to identify how such narratives may facilitate the progression from more subtle forms of bias and prejudice to more overt manifestations of hate. Ultimately, this paper seeks to determine whether PragerU’s content fosters an environment where conflict is incited andcapable of evolving into more dangerous, hate-filled discourse, thereby contributing to broader societal polarization