To a large extent, the media set the agenda in the public debate, but they can be in- fluenced by other actors, including political parties. Campaigning is the art of setting the agenda: the party that wins is the party that manages to set the agenda, ensur- ing that both its own strengths and its opponents’ weaknesses are at the centre of the public debate. One technique parties can use to achieve this is called ‘framing’.

Framing means creating a certain image, certain associations in the listener’s mind, by using specific words in a party’s message. If politicians and spokespersons keep repeating those words in the right place they can, for instance, effectively damage an opponent’s reputation. One example were the slurs on the PvdA leader’s character in Holland’s 2006 election campaign.

In a TV debate the CDA leader said: “Mr Bos, you are being misleading and dishonest.” Bos was unable to counter the at- tack, it affected people’s opinion of him and the accusation remained a conversation topic. Things went from bad to worse when the PvdA tried to address the attack by returning to it again and again with statements like “my opponents have been trying to damage my reputation for years” and “let’s not turn this into a negative personal argument” – which actually only reinforced the original message.

The CDA’s tactics were a copy of the Republicans’ tactics against John Kerry in the US presidential elections. Bush persistently accused Kerry of changing his views very easily. This so-called ‘flip-flop’ behaviour became Kerry’s biggest challenge. The very word was consequently repeated in the media. In the end, it proved Kerry’s downfall.

If a politician is unjustly accused of corruption, he or she should of course immediately deny the fact. But the most important thing is to immediately attack and change the topic of debate as soon as the accusation has been denied. Above all, politicians avoid being caught in a cycle of having to repeat the denial over and over again, because every mention gives people occasion to think that the accusation might be true.

Politicians and party spokespersons should always react promptly, therefore, but answer your opponents’ accusations with your own criticisms of them. It is important to have an experienced and professional spokesmen in your cam- paign to repeat your message if necessary and correct possible errors or misapprehensions.

Politicians and party spokespersons should always give journalists their side of the story, because opponents are sure to give theirs. Influencing journalists and persuading them to describe the situation the way that a party sees it (or in a way that is favourable for that party) is called “spin”. Political parties give the truth a spin in order to shift focus onto the part of it that best serves their particular purpose. After all, facts are objective, but opinions and commentary are not.

If ten people look at a painting and there will be ten different opinions about the painting’s meaning. And just like any artist will try to express his or her intentions as clearly as possible, political spin doctors do the same thing. But where an artist works with a brush, they work with debates, speeches, opinion polls, policy proposals and other important political events. There is, of course a limit to how far the truth can be spun. If the spinning progresses to become lies, this can negatively affect the image of a party or politician.

Source: Becoming a better politician: political skills manual