Form of propaganda in public relations and politics
"Spin doctor" redirects here. For
the rock band, see Spin Doctors
Public figures use 🌜 press conferences so often as a way
to control the timing and specificity of their messages to the media that 🌜 press
conference facilities have been nicknamed "spin rooms".
In public relations and
politics, spin is a form of propaganda, achieved through 🌜 knowingly providing a biased
interpretation of an event or campaigning to influence public opinion about some
organization or public figure. 🌜 While traditional public relations and advertising may
manage their presentation of facts, "spin" often implies the use of disingenuous,
deceptive, 🌜 and manipulative tactics.[1]
Because of the frequent association between
spin and press conferences (especially government press conferences), the room in which
🌜 these conferences take place is sometimes described as a "spin room".[2] Public
relations advisors, pollsters and media consultants who develop 🌜 deceptive or misleading
messages may be referred to as "spin doctors" or "spinmeisters".
A standard tactic used
in "spinning" is to 🌜 reframe or modify the perception of an issue or event to reduce any
negative impact it might have on public 🌜 opinion. For example, a company whose
top-selling product is found to have a significant safety problem may "reframe" the
issue 🌜 by criticizing the safety of its main competitor's products or by highlighting
the risk associated with the entire product category. 🌜 This might be done using a
"catchy" slogan or sound bite that can help to persuade the public of the 🌜 company's
biased point of view. This tactic could enable the company to refocus the public's
attention away from the negative 🌜 aspects of its product.
Spinning is typically a
service provided by paid media advisors and media consultants. The largest and most
🌜 powerful companies may have in-house employees and sophisticated units with expertise
in spinning issues. While spin is often considered to 🌜 be a private-sector tactic, in
the 1990s and 2000s some politicians and political staff were accused of using
deceptive "spin" 🌜 tactics to manipulate or deceive the public. Spin may include
"burying" potentially negative new information by releasing it at the 🌜 end of the
workday on the last day before a long weekend; selectively cherry-picking quotes from
previous speeches made by 🌜 their employer or an opposing politician to give the
impression that they advocate a certain position; or purposely leaking misinformation
🌜 about an opposing politician or candidate that casts them in a negative
light.[3]
History [ edit ]
Rise of political spin [ 🌜 edit ]
Edward Bernays has been
called the "Father of Public Relations". Bernays helped tobacco and alcohol companies
make consumption of 🌜 their products more socially acceptable, and he was proud of his
work as a propagandist.[4] Throughout the 1990s, the use 🌜 of spin by politicians and
parties accelerated, especially in the United Kingdom; the emergence of 24-hour news
increased pressures placed 🌜 upon journalists to provide nonstop content, which was
further intensified by the competitive nature of British broadcasters and newspapers,
and 🌜 content quality declined due to 24-hour news' and political parties' techniques for
handling the increased demand.[5] This led to journalists 🌜 relying more heavily on the
public relations industry as a source for stories, and advertising revenue as a profit
source, 🌜 making them more susceptible to spin.[6]
Spin in the United Kingdom began to
break down with the high-profile resignations of the 🌜 architects of spin within the New
Labour government, with Charlie Whelan resigning as Gordon Brown's spokesman in 1999
and Alastair 🌜 Campbell resigning as Tony Blair's Press Secretary in 2003.[3][7] As
information technology has increased since the end of the 20th 🌜 century, commentators
like Joe Trippi have advanced the theory that modern Internet activism spells the end
for political spin, in 🌜 that the Internet may reduce the effectiveness of spin by
providing immediate counterpoints.[8]
Examples of "spin doctors" [ edit ]
"Spin
doctors" 🌜 can either command media attention or remain anonymous. Examples from the UK
include Jamie Shea during his time as NATO's 🌜 press secretary throughout the Kosovo War,
Charlie Whelan, and Alastair Campbell.[6][clarification needed]
Campbell, previously a
journalist before becoming Tony Blair's Press 🌜 Secretary, was the driving force behind a
government that was able to produce the message it wanted in the media. 🌜 He played a key
role in important decisions, with advisors viewing him as a 'Deputy Prime Minister'
inseparable from Blair.[9] 🌜 Campbell trusted various journalists such as Tony Bevins and
Denis Murray, with whom he had a close relationship, to write 🌜 stories about Blair in a
positive light; Campbell identifies how he was able to spin Rupert Murdoch, during a
meeting 🌜 in July 1995, into positively reporting an up incoming Blair speech, gathering
the support from The Sun and The Times, 🌜 popular British newspapers.[10] Campbell later
acknowledged that his and the government's spinning had contributed to the electorate's
growing distrust of 🌜 politicians, and he asserted that spin must cease.[11]
"Spin
doctors" such as Shea praised and respected Campbell's work. In 1999, during 🌜 the
beginning of NATO's intervention in Kosovo, Shea's media strategy was non-existent
before the arrival of Campbell and his team. 🌜 Campbell taught Shea how to organise his
team to deliver what he wanted to be in the media, which led 🌜 to Shea being appreciated
for his work by President Bill Clinton.[9]
Techniques [ edit ]
Some spin techniques
include:
For years, businesses have 🌜 used fake or misleading customer testimonials by
editing/spinning customers to reflect a much more satisfied experience than was
actually the 🌜 case. In 2009, the Federal Trade Commission updated their laws to include
measures to prohibit this type of "spinning" and 🌜 have been enforcing these laws as of
late.[14]
Impact on elections [ edit ]
The extent of the impact of "spin doctors" 🌜 is
contested, though their presence is still recognized in the political environment. The
1997 General election in the United Kingdom 🌜 saw a landslide victory for New Labour with
a 10.3% swing from Conservative to Labour, with help from newspapers such 🌜 as The Sun
towards which Campbell focused his spinning tactics as he greatly valued their
support.[15] The famous newspaper headline 🌜 'The Sun Backs Blair' was a key turning
point in the campaign which provided New Labour with a lot of 🌜 confidence and hope of
increased electoral support.[16] The change in political alignment had an impact on the
electorate, with the 🌜 number of individuals voting for Labour that read switching
newspapers rising by 19.4%, compared to only 10.8% by those that 🌜 did not read switching
newspapers; a study conducted by Ladd and Lenz.[17]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit
]
Bibliography [ 🌜 edit ]
