Spin Doctoring

Abstract

Spin doctoring is a derogatory term to define public relations activities for political institutions, political actors or corporations that emphasize or exaggerate the most positive aspects of something. The term does not indicate a profession, like public relations, or a neutral activity, like political communication, but is a biased expression used by journalists to discredit the work of public relations experts. The term is commonly used to refer to campaigns and communications that are based on deception and manipulation. Governments, political actors, and corporations are using this technique to protect their image from criticism, to achieve consensus and public support and to sell their ideas and opinions. In politics, the concept of spin doctoring is tied to the process of mediatization, which has made politicians and political institutions more concerned for their appearance and how they are represented in mass media than the political reality.