spin team ?

[japanjapan]

Dear teachers, please read the next paragraph:
Mr. Bush needs to speak out fully in public, both about 9/11 and about Iraq. He is chief executive of a country that once trusted him to lead in perilous times. The public supported his decision to go to war in the Middle East because most Americans believed his judgment was sound. That kind of faith is not just what he needs to win an election in November. It is what he needs to run the country, and he is in grave danger of losing it. Neither administration officials nor political advisers nor the White House spin team can hold on to the country's ebbing confidence. The president must do this himself, and quickly.

what does spin team mean? why does the author describe the team using the word "spin"?

thanks

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by japanjapan

Dear teachers, please read the next paragraph:
Mr. Bush needs to speak out fully in public, both about 9/11 and about Iraq. He is chief executive of a country that once trusted him to lead in perilous times. The public supported his decision to go to war in the Middle East because most Americans believed his judgment was sound. That kind of faith is not just what he needs to win an election in November. It is what he needs to run the country, and he is in grave danger of losing it. Neither administration officials nor political advisers nor the White House spin team can hold on to the country's ebbing confidence. The president must do this himself, and quickly.

what does spin team mean? why does the author describe the team using the word "spin"?

thanks

In this context, the word "spin" refers to the way consultants place events in a positive light for those they work for. :wink:

[japanjapan]

Dear mike,
I still don't quite understand your explanation, I look it up in a dictionary again. I saw one explanation of the word "spin" in Macmillan English Dictionary. It is as follows.
to present information in a particular way, especially in a way that makes something seem good or less bad.
and I found another phrase : spin doctor.

Does the spin team consist of spin doctors?
Does the spin team refer to propaganda team?

Thanks

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by japanjapan

Dear mike,
I still don't quite understand your explanation, I look it up in a dictionary again. I saw one explanation of the word "spin" in Macmillan English Dictionary. It is as follows.
to present information in a particular way, especially in a way that makes something seem good or less bad.
and I found another phrase : spin doctor.

Does the spin team consist of spin doctors?
Does the spin team refer to propaganda team?

Thanks

Yes, people who put a "spin" on events can be called "spin doctors". I would not say that "propaganda" would work in all cases. Usually spin deals with real events and just postions them in a better light; propaganda can be anything from outright lies to "spin".

[Tdol]

However, 'spin doctor' has been increasingly used in a negative way.

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by tdol

However, 'spin doctor' has been increasingly used in a negative way.

Yes, negative is most common, but I still think propaganda is more negative.