• Exciting news! With our new Ad-Free Premium Subscription you can enjoy a distraction-free browsing experience while supporting our site's growth. Without ads, you have less distractions and enjoy faster page load times. Upgrade is optional. Find out more here, and enjoy ad-free learning with us!

spin team ?

Status
Not open for further replies.

japanjapan

Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2004
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
Chinese
Home Country
China
Current Location
China
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

VIP Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
japanjapan said:
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

Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2004
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
Chinese
Home Country
China
Current Location
China
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

VIP Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
japanjapan said:
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

Editor, UsingEnglish.com
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Member Type
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
However, 'spin doctor' has been increasingly used in a negative way.;-)
 

MikeNewYork

VIP Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
tdol said:
However, 'spin doctor' has been increasingly used in a negative way.;-)

Yes, negative is most common, but I still think propaganda is more negative.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top