Spin Doctoring During the Presidency of George W Bush

By Roberto Miguel Rodriguez

In this report, I will explain what is spin-doctoring, how it is used in a political campaign, provide examples and review the literature to present an up-to-date review and assessment of its significance and use. In addition, I will analyze the use of spin-doctoring during the two-terms presidency of George W. Bush in the period from 2000 to 2008. Although all politicians have used spin-doctoring to present to the public the best angle for them about the current events, the Bush presidency probably excelled in the use of this technique when it had to confront some of the mistakes of his own administration and how to present those mistakes to the American public.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 9, 2016
• ISBN: 9781365318627

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Spin Doctoring During the Presidency of George W Bush

SPIN-DOCTORING DURING THE PRESIDENCY OF GEORGE W. BUSH

By Roberto Miguel Rodriguez

Rome, February 15, 2016

Table of Contents

Spin-Doctoring During the Presidency of George W. Bush

Introduction

Literature Review

Methodology

Findings

The presidency of George W. Bush

Iraq tried to acquire uranium in Niger

Iraq had links to Al Qaeda

Civilian Casualties Kept to a Minimum

The Story of Jessica Lynch

Torture at Abu Ghraib

Karen Hughes Appointed to Spin the Truth in the Middle East

The Three Federal Videos

Pentagon’s Own TV Channel

Conclusion

References

Spin-Doctoring During the Presidency of George W. Bush

Introduction

In this report, I will explain what is spin-doctoring, how it is used in a political campaign, provide examples and review the literature to present an up-to-date review and assessment of its significance and use. In addition, I will analyze the use of spin-doctoring during the two-terms presidency of George W. Bush in the period from 2000 to 2008. Although all politicians have used spin-doctoring to present to the public the best angle for them about the current events, the Bush presidency probably excelled in the use of this technique when it had to confront some of the mistakes of his own administration and how to present those mistakes to the American public.

A spin doctor is a professional whose employment has to do with controlling the manner in which something, such as an important occurrence, is portrayed to the public to influence people’s attitudes and behaviors (Merriam-Webster, 2015, p. 1). Spin-doctoring is a specialized area in the field of public relations, a kind of propaganda which helps to change the interpretation of an event or an occurrence, so that it is portrayed in a more favorable or unfavorable way, to influence public opinion either against or in favor of a politician or an organization. Contrary to the traditional public relations discipline, which seeks to portray the facts, spin usually implies deceptive, disingenuous and highly manipulative tactics (Safire, 1996, p. 1). However, spinning should be differentiated from