Spin Doctor

In the American dictionary of political terms, the emergence of the phrase “spin-doctor” refers to 1984, when it was first used in the editorial of The New York Times ^[1] . Journalists called the “spin doctors” of PR professionals who suggested reporters use ready-made interpretations to describe the newly concluded television debate between Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale .

In Russian, the word " spin " is translated as "spinning", "rotation", "whirling". The action indicates the nature of the work of the spin doctor, who can, for example, “spin” or “spin” the news.

The English word “ doctor ” is translated and interpreted by Russian researchers in different ways. Some people prefer the first meaning of the word - “ doctor ” and believe that the spin doctor is engaged in the “treatment” of the news. Others associate the translation with the word " doctor ", which implies a degree , thereby indicating the high qualification of spin doctors.

It is noteworthy that in many sources the spelling of the term differs. Some researchers write the word together (“ spindoktor ”, “spindoktoring”), others - through a hyphen (“ spin-doctor ”, “ spin-doctoring ”). The second option is more common.

The original English phrase is borrowed not only in Russian, but also in other languages, for example, in French .

The work of the spin doctor can be divided into two stages: before the proposed event and after it. From the point of view of B. Bruce, who served as director of communications for the Conservative Party during the time of Margaret Thatcher (1989-1991), the work of the spin doctor is divided into:

1. the organization of expectations before the event itself
2. fixing the problem after the interview received the wrong coverage ^[2]

Another specialist, D. Watt, offers a more advanced classification:

1. Do-spin - preparation for the event,
2. After-spin - bringing shine to the event,
3. Tornado spin - an attempt to transfer public interest to another sphere,
4. Crisis control - management of events that get out of control,
5. Damage reduction - management of events that are no longer controlled, in order to prevent further damage ^[2] .

A spin doctor who works in the media team of his client (as a rule, this is about presidential election races), works not only with the interpretation of events, but also organizes them. Organization of your own events is one of the most effective ways to create the necessary interpretation.

In general terms, the spin doctor’s work strategy consists in selecting events (organized by himself or others), preparing expectations of the selected events, working with the media (at the time the event is covered), and working after receiving a public reaction to the event.

The work of spin doctors is often complicated by the fact that their client does not address the audience directly, but through intermediaries - media representatives who can radically change the intended interpretation. The most well-known tricks against such mediation are the live performance of the client, as well as the formulation of short and catchy phrases that journalists can neither cut, nor rephrase. In French, for this method of communicating with the press, there is a special term: “langue de bois” (wooden language). This language, called by the French “Newspeak,” is often used by spokesmen for the French government.

In the course of his work, the spin doctor is faced with both a negative and a positive perception of the event. In the first case, possible strategies are replacing the event with others or shifting emphasis. In particular, if it is necessary to inform the audience of bad news, spin doctors launch it simultaneously with a large number of other more important news or choose the moment when a larger-scale event is discussed on the editorials. Faced with negative coverage of the event, the spin doctor can also correct the situation by switching the attention of the media and audience to another negative event.

In the event that the event is perceived positively, the spin-doctor consolidates the effect: maximizes the life of the news (which lives in the media space for an average of 7-10 days). An example of such a strategy can be an increase in the number of mentions of an event in the media, as well as comparison and ranking in line with other important events - thus, a spin doctor provides his event with an honorable place in history.

Another common technique in the work of a spin doctor is the creation of an information vacuum. In the absence of information, any client statement is exclusive and cannot but attract media representatives.

Spin doctoring in the West is often compared to Soviet totalitarian media control. Both systems have one and the same ultimate goal - the control of mass consciousness through the media. The Soviet model involves forced control of the media. Western, more elegant, exercises the same control by other methods, based on each specific situation arising in the media space. From a moral and ethical point of view, the work of a spin doctor is assessed ambiguously, because part of his work, one way or another, is the concealment of facts that harm the image of the client. In addition, the question arises of the ethics of manipulating the mass consciousness in principle.

• G. G. Pocheptsov. Communicative technology of the twentieth century. - M .: Refl book Wackler, 1999 .-- 200 p. - ISBN 5-87983-082-9 .
• S. N. Fedorchenko. PR technology spin-doctoring . - Vestnik MGOU, 2011 .-- T. 4.

• Spindoktor: Site Library of the Krasnoyarsk Regional Youth Media Center (Neopr.) . Date of treatment April 17, 2014.