How to Master Political Spin

Spin doctors are people that put a particular "spin" on what has been said--often, with little concern for its truth. The real concern is whether or not people believe the spin. Sometimes the spin on a message is more important than the message itself.

Difficulty:

Challenging

Instructions

1. Understand what it is that a spin doctor does. Spin is cynically perceived as a form of propaganda: biased, manipulative and deceptive. Sociologists see the rise of spin as a real problem for democracy because it masks transparency and provides the public with distorted information.

2. Become ambiguous, one of the major techniques of spin. Incorporating unclear phrasing can make your exact meaning hard to pin down, which is useful when answering questions about a subject that you don't want to address.

3. Selectively present facts and quotes that support your position. Sometimes a spin doctor can manipulate the words of an adversary and come up with a statement that ends up supporting the spin doctor's client. A good example of this is Ms. X saying, "I admire Mr. Z, but he has made a terrible error." The spin becomes, "Ms. X said today that she 'admires' Mr. Z."

4. Learn to use the non-denial denial, saying something such as "We didn't know that this company was intending to outsource it's manufacturing plant to Brazil"--when in fact, you knew that the company was going overseas, just not that it was specifically going to Brazil. In other words, say something made to sound like a denial, without actually being one.

5. Speak in euphemisms to sound less offensive, disturbing or troubling. A good example of using euphemisms is the war in Iraq. When the President refers to the 30,000 additional troops he asked for, he doesn't call it an escalation. The word escalation is a loaded word and brings back memories of the Vietnam War. Instead, the government and the media use the word "surge," which is much more palatable than "escalation."

6. Use the right words. The news media will often repeat words from a press conference or press release verbatim, without questioning the aptness of the phrase. This perpetuates both the message and whatever preconceptions might underlie it. Constant use of a phrase or a word legitimizes it.

7. Play up weaknesses and make them look charming. When President Bush makes fun of his "misquotes" he actually takes the thunder away from his detractors. This is an old spin trick to make someone look more likable and more like "common folk."

Tips & Warnings

• Don't get caught up in your own spin. It's the same as believing your own lies.

• Be subtle when you put a spin on something. Add enough truth to make it plausible.

• If you are working for someone, don't tell them that you are spinning their story. Let them believe in their own greatness.

• Don't lie. You can misrepresent, but don't get caught in an outright lie. This will cast aspersions on everything you have done up until this point. It may also land you in jail if you are caught spinning something under oath.

Resources

• Visit SpinWatch, an organization dedicated monitoring spin.