Class Notes – Propaganda and Spin

Sarah Aldous

Savage and Tiffen 2007 ‘Politician, Journalists and “spin”: tangled

relationships and shifting alliances’ in Young, Sally 2007. Government
Communication in Australia, Port Melbourne, Cambridge University Press.

• The reading analysed the relationship between journalists and politicians

labelling them both as similar and as ‘spin doctors.’
• Simon Haggart’s idea of journalists was included in the reading and he states
that Journalists and like snake that are “knotted together.”
• “Journalists thus need to be regularly productive, they need a reliable supply
of newsworthy material, they need to be protected against the risks of
publishing inaccurate claims, and they need protection against being scooped
by their competitors even as they seek chances to score competitive scoops
themselves” pp 80
• “The power of spin is often exaggerated. Spin is not a magic elixir,
transcending all other political resources. Perfect spin can only occur when
there is complete control over events” pp 91
• To know why spin and propaganda occurs we need to know the relationships
between the participants, the structure of interests the processes by which
news is produced, how people want to influence it and the institutions
involved.”
• “Spin is an artform for the players, but increasingly a problem for the
system” pp 92

Hamish and Andy podcast 12th of February 2010

• Promotion of a Coles Wedding, and on the day of the wedding, and the 16
minutes of podcast that I listened too, Coles was mentioned 16 times.
• Is this a form of subconscious propaganda?

Jones, Gemma., Bevin, Edith and Kamper, Angela 2010 ‘Premier backs
scandal MP’, The Daily Telegraph
• Talks of David Campbell’s secret gay sex life, which was revealed on
Tuesday.
• This article shows the true point that Savage and Tiffen are arguing in their
work, that Journalists will do anything to use a political story and twist it, to
keep them above the competition.
• Campbell states “I have apologised to them, I have apologised to the
community and I accept my responsibility for the situation that I have put my
family and myself in.”
• The article starts with The premier, Krisitina Keneally stating that she would
take him back into office after he sorted out his personal issues.

Kent, Paul 2010 ‘All bets, and towels were off at Ken’s’, The Daily
Telegraph
• The article is based around the interviewer going to do some first hand
investigation at Ken’s of Kingston. After the scandal of politician David
Campbell
• This place is described as “a gay men’s club is kind of like calling a roman
orgy a swap meet.”

References:

Hamish and Andy, 2010, radio program, safm, Coles supermarket, 12 February.

Jones, Gemma., Kamper, Angela and Bevin, Edith ‘Premier backs scandal MP’ The Daily
Telegraph, 22 May, pp 1, 4-5

Kent, Paul 2010, ‘All bets, and towels were off at Ken’s’ The Daily Telegraph, 22 May pp 5
Wiktionary 2010, A Wikimedia Project, accessed 22 May 2010, <
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Main_Page>

Wordnet search 3.0 2010, Princeton University, accessed 22 May 2010

<http://wordnet.princeton.edu/>