Editing Spin (propaganda) (section)

== Techniques ==
Some spin techniques include:
[[File:Picking Cherries.jpg|alt=Cherry picking as a farming and a public relations practice.|thumb|Cherry picking is a practice of using selective facts to present to the public. It refers to the farming practice of picking only ripe cherries.]]
*Selectively presenting facts and quotes that support one's position ("[[Cherry picking (fallacy)|cherry picking]]"). For example, a pharmaceutical company could choose only two trials where their product shows a positive effect and ignore hundreds of unsuccessful trials, or a politician's staff could handpick short speech quotations from past years which appear to show their candidate's support for a certain position.
* [[Non-denial denial]]
* [[Non-apology apology]]
* "[[Mistakes were made]]" is an example of [[distancing language]], commonly used as a rhetorical device, whereby a speaker acknowledges that a situation was managed inappropriately but evades any direct responsibility. The expression focuses on the action, omitting any actor, via the [[English passive voice|passive voice]], and "mistakes" are framed in an indirect sense that does not imply intent. A less evasive [[active voice]] construction would focus on the actor, such as: "I made mistakes" or "John Doe made mistakes." 
* Speaking in a way that [[Begging the question|assumes unproven claims]] or [[avoiding the question|avoids the question]]<ref>Staff. "[https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/are-these-examples-of-political-spin/7265.html Are these examples of political spin?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815015401/http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/are-these-examples-of-political-spin/7265.html |date=2012-08-15 }}". ''[[BBC Learning Zone]]''. Clip 7265. 2013.</ref>
* "Burying bad news": announcing unpopular things when the media is expected to be focusing on other news. In some cases, governments have released potentially controversial reports on summer long weekends. Sometimes "other news" is deliberately supplied.<ref name=":0" />
* Misdirection and diversion<ref name=weissman>Weissman, Jerry. "[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jerry-weissman/spin-versus-topspin_b_218103.html Spin vs. Topspin]". ''[[The Huffington Post]]''. 19 June 2009.</ref> This is when a government leaks a story to the news to limit the coverage of a more damaging story that has been circulating. New Labour used this tactic to reduce the coverage of Foreign Secretary [[Robin Cook]]'''’'''s affair. This was achieved by leaking a story that a previous Governor of Hong Kong was under investigation by MI6.<ref name=":0" />
* [[Limited hangout]]
*Rewarding like-minded or amenable journalists with stories. During the [[Rhodesia crisis]] of 1964, [[Harold Wilson]] formulated a list of journalists that he trusted to write stories that aligned with the government’s opinion.<ref name=":0" />
*Preventing access to journalists or broadcasters that are reporting to the disliking of the spin doctor. An example is [[The World at One|the ''World at One'']] being ignored by New Labour in the build up to the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 General election]] due to an interview they held with Blair that asked difficult questions, leading to interviews being handed to other stations.<ref name=":2" />

For years, businesses have used fake or misleading [[Testimonial#Customer|customer testimonials]] by editing/spinning customers to reflect a much more satisfied experience than was actually the case. In 2009, the [[Federal Trade Commission]] updated their laws to include measures to prohibit this type of "spinning" and have been enforcing these laws as of late.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2009/10/ftc-publishes-final-guides-governing-endorsements-testimonials|title=FTC Publishes Final Guides Governing Endorsements, Testimonials|date=2009-10-05|website=Federal Trade Commission|language=en|access-date=2019-07-24}}</ref>