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Directionless Spin
SAY AFTER ME: Citizens are not helpless against spin.
Spin. The art of persuasion. Albeit it is softer way of saying propanganda, the visual imagery of spin is quite constructive. Because the goal of spin is to present- some may say distort- the facts in such a way that you gain the good graces of the public.
In the ever expanding political media coverage, it is commonly perceived that sound public communication is of pivotal importance. Much energy is used in securing the brand of any given politician and it seems that the way policy is perceived trumps the content of policy.
But does it matter? Well, ask anybody in politics and the answer is surely a resounding yes. They might say that the public needs direction and therefore, it is essential to ensure good public relations.
Bad Press, Good Ratings
An example of a case where a political leader suffered from bad press but survived handsomely, was the reception of Bill Clinton scandalous affair with the White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
The press were unanimously negative in their coverage of the president, but remarkably the public evaluation of the Presidents job performance went up, not down. Political scientist John Zaller proposes in a 1998 paper that this is due to the fact…
