Mockingjay

The power of the media is an important motif throughout the Hunger Games series. The Capitol uses televised propaganda and manipulative narratives to support its acts of cruelty against the districts. In Mockingjay, propaganda takes on new importance as a war tactic. The rebels and the Capitol engage in a media battle to control the war narrative. Suzanne Collins explores the importance of propaganda to the war effort and the inevitable consequences of manipulating public opinion.

The Capitol government is made up of seasoned propagandists. In The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, Snow airs cherrypicked interviews with the tributes and victors of the Hunger Games, carefully structured to push his desired narrative. It follows that Katniss’s TV crew, comprised largely of defectors from the Capitol, will be equally skilled at spinning information in favor of the rebels.

One of Katniss’s primary duties as the Mockingjay is to act in short propaganda videos called “propos.” The propos are largely unscripted, featuring Katniss in the heat of combat or speaking candidly about her past. By the time the war is in full swing, almost every aspect of Katniss’s life is televised. Using such natural footage may seem admirable, but it is a deliberate choice based on the TV crew’s knowledge that the public responds best to Katniss when she is being herself.