View source for Spin (propaganda)

{{short description|Form of propaganda in public relations and politics}}
{{Redirect|Spin doctor|the rock band|Spin Doctors}}
{{multiple issues|
{{Globalize|article|UK|date=March 2022}}
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[[File:Coronavirus Press Conference - 49659509512.jpg|alt=President Donald J. Trump and the Coronavirus Task Force take questions from the press at the White House|thumb|250x250px|Public figures use [[press conference]]s 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 room]]s".]]

In [[public relations]] and [[politics]], '''spin''' is a form of [[propaganda]], achieved through knowingly 
providing a biased interpretation of an event. While traditional public relations and [[advertising]] may manage their presentation of facts, "spin" often implies the use of [[Wikt:disingenuous|disingenuous]], [[deceptive]], and [[Psychological manipulation|manipulative]] tactics.<ref>[[William Safire]], "[https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/22/magazine/the-spinner-spun.html The Spinner Spun]", ''New York Times'', December 22, 1996.</ref>

Because of the frequent association between spin and [[press conference]]s (especially [[government]] press conferences), the room in which these conferences take place is sometimes described as a "[[spin room]]".<ref>Michael, Powell. [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/22/us/politics/22scene.html "Tit for Tat on a Night Where Spin Is Master,"] ''New York Times.'' February 22, 2008.</ref> Public relations [[Adviser|advisors]], pollsters and [[Media consultant|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 (philosophy)|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 [[News leak|leaking]] [[misinformation]] about an opposing politician or candidate that casts them in a negative light.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Gaber|first=Ivor|date=1999|title=Government by spin: an analysis of the process|journal=[[Contemporary Politics]]|volume=5|issue=3|pages=263–275|doi=10.1080/13569779908450008}}</ref>

== History ==
{{Rhetoric}}
=== Rise of political spin ===
[[Edward Bernays]] has been called the "Father of Public Relations". Bernays helped [[tobacco]] and [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]] companies make consumption of their products more socially acceptable, and he was proud of his work as a propagandist.<ref>Stauber, John and Sheldon Rampton. [http://www.prwatch.org/prwissues/1999Q2/bernays.html "Book Review: ''The Father of Spin: Edward L. Bernays & The Birth of PR'' by Larry Tye,"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121185416/http://www.prwatch.org/prwissues/1999Q2/bernays.html |date=2008-11-21 }} ''PR Watch'' (Second Quarter 1999). Vol. 6, No. 2.</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Jones|first=Nicholas|date=2003|title=24-hours media|journal=Journal of Public Affairs|volume=3|issue=1|pages=27–31|doi=10.1002/pa.130}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sOkcBQAAQBAJ&q=Mass+media+politics+and+democracy&pg=PR10|title=Mass media, politics and democracy|last=Street|first=John|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2011|isbn=9781137015556|location=Basingstoke}}</ref>

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.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gaber|first=Ivor|date=2004|title=Alastair Campbell, exit stage left: Do the "Phillis" recommendations represent a new chapter in political communications or is it "business as usual"?|journal=Journal of Public Affairs|volume=4|issue=4|pages=365–373|doi=10.1002/pa.199}}</ref> 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.<ref>Branigan, Tania, "[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/jun/13/newmedia.egovernment Internet spells end for political spin, says US web guru]", ''[[The Guardian]]''. 12 June 2007.</ref>

=== Examples of spin doctors ===
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]].<ref name=":1" />{{Unclear inline|date=March 2022}}<!-- Were they anonymous? -->

Campbell, previously a journalist before becoming Tony Blair's [[Downing Street Press Secretary|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.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=he15AAAAIAAJ|title=Alastair Campbell: New Labour and the rise of the media class|last=Oberne|first=Peter|publisher=Aurum|year=1999|isbn=9781854106476|location=London}}</ref> Campbell identifies how he was able to spin [[Rupert Murdoch]], during a meeting in July 1995, into positively reporting an upcoming Blair speech, gathering the support from ''[[The Sun (United Kingdom)|The Sun]]'' and ''[[The Times]]'', popular British newspapers.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QlMMhKCUfIMC&q=The+Blair+Years&pg=PR11|title=The Blair years: extracts from the Alastair Campbell diaries|last1=Campbell|first1=Alastair and|last2=Scott|first2=Richard|publisher=Hutchinson|year=2007|isbn=9780099514756|location=London}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Campbell|first=Alastair|date=2002|title=It's time to bury spin|journal=British Journal Review|volume=13|issue=4|pages=15–23|doi=10.1177/095647480201300403|s2cid=143847032}}</ref>

"Spin doctors" such as Shea praised and respected Campbell's work. In 1999, during the beginning of [[NATO bombing of Yugoslavia|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]].<ref name=":2" />

== Techniques ==
Some spin techniques include:
[[File:Picking Cherries.jpg|alt=Cherry picking as a farming and a public relations practice.|thumb|Cherry picking is a practice of using selective facts to present to the public. It refers to the farming practice of picking only ripe cherries.]]
*Selectively presenting facts and quotes that support one's position ("[[Cherry picking (fallacy)|cherry picking]]"). For example, a pharmaceutical company could choose only two trials where their product shows a positive effect and ignore hundreds of unsuccessful trials, or a politician's staff could handpick short speech quotations from past years which appear to show their candidate's support for a certain position.
* {{annotated link|Non-denial denial}}
* {{annotated link|Non-apology apology}}
* "[[Mistakes were made]]" is an example of [[distancing language]], commonly used as a rhetorical device, whereby a speaker acknowledges that a situation was managed inappropriately but evades any direct responsibility. The expression focuses on the action, omitting any actor, via the [[English passive voice|passive voice]], and "mistakes" are framed in an indirect sense that does not imply intent. A less evasive [[active voice]] construction would focus on the actor, such as: "I made mistakes" or "John Doe made mistakes." 
* Speaking in a way that [[Begging the question|assumes unproven claims]] or [[avoiding the question|avoids the question]]<ref>Staff. "[https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/are-these-examples-of-political-spin/7265.html Are these examples of political spin?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815015401/http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/are-these-examples-of-political-spin/7265.html |date=2012-08-15 }}". ''[[BBC Learning Zone]]''. Clip 7265. 2013.</ref>
* "Burying bad news": announcing unpopular things when the media is expected to be focusing on other news. In some cases, governments have released potentially controversial reports on summer long weekends. Sometimes "other news" is deliberately supplied.<ref name=":0" />
* Misdirection and diversion<ref name=weissman>Weissman, Jerry. "[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jerry-weissman/spin-versus-topspin_b_218103.html Spin vs. Topspin]". ''[[The Huffington Post]]''. 19 June 2009.</ref> This is when a government leaks a story to the news to limit the coverage of a more damaging story that has been circulating. New Labour used this tactic to reduce the coverage of Foreign Secretary [[Robin Cook]]'''’'''s affair. This was achieved by leaking a story that a previous Governor of Hong Kong was under investigation by MI6.<ref name=":0" />
* {{annotated link|Limited hangout}}
*Rewarding like-minded or amenable journalists with stories. During the [[Rhodesia crisis]] of 1964, [[Harold Wilson]] formulated a list of journalists that he trusted to write stories that aligned with the government’s opinion.<ref name=":0" />
*Preventing access to journalists or broadcasters that are reporting to the disliking of the spin doctor. An example is [[The World at One|the ''World at One'']] being ignored by New Labour in the build up to the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 General election]] due to an interview they held with Blair that asked difficult questions, leading to interviews being handed to other stations.<ref name=":2" />

For years, businesses have used fake or misleading [[Testimonial#Customer|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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2009/10/ftc-publishes-final-guides-governing-endorsements-testimonials|title=FTC Publishes Final Guides Governing Endorsements, Testimonials|date=2009-10-05|website=Federal Trade Commission|language=en|access-date=2019-07-24}}</ref>

== Impact on elections ==
The extent of the impact of "spin doctors" is contested, though their presence is still recognized in the political environment. The [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 General election]] in the United Kingdom saw a landslide victory for New Labour with a 10.3% swing from [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] to [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]], with help from newspapers such as ''The Sun'' towards which [[Alastair Campbell]] focused his spinning tactics as he greatly valued their support.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zi5dDwAAQBAJ&q=The+Labour+Party%3A+continuity+and+change+in+the+making+of+%E2%80%98New%E2%80%99+Labour.&pg=PR1|title=The Labour Party: continuity and change in the making of 'New' Labour|last=Fielding|first=Steven|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2002|isbn=9781403940445|location=New York}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/1997/mar/18/past.roygreenslade|title=It's the Sun wot's switched sides back to Blair|last=Greensalde|first=Roy|date=1997|work=The Guardian|access-date=4 November 2019}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ladd|first1=Jonathan M. and|last2=Lenz|first2=Gabriel S.|date=2009|title=Exploiting a Rare Communication Shift to Document the Persuasive Power of the News Media|journal=American Journal of Political Science|volume=53|issue=2|pages=394–410|doi=10.1111/j.1540-5907.2009.00377.x}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Too many see alsos|date=October 2025}}
{{columns-list|
*{{annotated link|Apophasis}}
*{{annotated link|Astroturfing}}
*{{annotated link|Big lie}}
*{{annotated link|Cognitive distortion}}
*{{annotated link|Corporate propaganda}}
*{{annotated link|Crisis communication}}
*{{annotated link|Dead cat strategy}}
*{{annotated link|Distinction without a difference}}
*{{annotated link|Dog whistle (politics)|Dog whistle}}
*{{annotated link|Doublespeak}}
*{{annotated link|Exaggeration}}
*{{annotated link|Fake news}}
*{{annotated link|Five Star Movement#Criticism}}
*{{annotated link|Framing (social sciences)}}
*{{annotated link|Gaslighting}}
*{{annotated link|Impression management}}
*{{annotated link|Image restoration theory}}
*{{annotated link|Just How Stupid Are We?|''Just How Stupid Are We?''}}
*{{annotated link|Malcolm Tucker}}, a fictional spin doctor from the [[BBC]] satirical comedy ''[[The Thick of It]]'' and ''[[In The Loop]]''.
*{{annotated link|Managing the news}}
*{{annotated link|Media circus}}
*{{annotated link|Media manipulation}}
*{{annotated link|Minimisation (psychology)}}
*{{annotated link|Reputation laundering}}
*{{annotated link|Reputation management}}
*{{annotated link|Sexed up}}
*{{annotated link|Sound bite}}
*{{annotated link|Spin (1995 film)|''Spin'' (1995 film)}}
*{{annotated link|Spin Dictators|''Spin Dictators''}}
*{{annotated link|Spin City|''Spin City'' (TV Show)}}
*{{annotated link|SpinSpotter}}
*{{annotated link|Truthiness}}
*{{annotated link|Wag the Dog}}— a 1997 American political satire [[black comedy]] starring [[Dustin Hoffman]] and [[Robert De Niro]] as spin doctors who create a fake war to distract from a presidential sex scandal days before an election
*{{annotated link|Weasel word}}
*{{annotated link|Yellow journalism}}
}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|35em}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{Cite journal |doi=10.1111/j.0033-3298.2005.00435.x |title=Spin Control and Freedom of Information: Lessons for the United Kingdom from Canada |year=2005 |author=Roberts, Alasdair S. |journal=Public Administration |volume=83 |pages=1–23 |url=https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/SSRN_ID1308145_code383666.pdf?abstractid=1308145 }}
* [[Kathleen Hall Jamieson]] and Brooks Jackson (2007): ''unSpun: Finding Facts in a World of Disinformation'', (Random House Paperback, {{ISBN|978-1400065660}})

{{Disinformation}}
{{Media culture}}
{{Media manipulation}}
{{Propaganda}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spin (Propaganda)}}
[[Category:Propaganda techniques]]
[[Category:Advertising]]
[[Category:Deception]]
[[Category:Media studies]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Psychological warfare techniques]]
[[Category:Public choice theory]]
[[Category:Public relations]]
[[Category:Public relations terminology]]
[[Category:Rhetorical techniques]]