Dickie Arbiter (DA for the purposes of this article) is a world-renowned broadcaster, journalist, royal spokesperson, royal commentator and regular contributor to news and documentaries on channels and programmes such as CNN's Larry King Live, BBC, Sky News, NBC, CBS and ABC. Malcolm Russell (MR) is a broadcasting veteran who has trained many of the broadcasters and interviewers you hear and see today.
DA: Political spin is about testing the waters with a policy proposal. When the public don't fall for it the politicians pull back claiming it wasn't a serious idea.
DA: Politicians and the media. The former feeds the latter – not sure which one is the parasite.
MR: Everyone spins. It's what I term ‘selective truth telling'.
MR: The proliferation of media has led to a shortage of skilled journalists in SA and as a consequence many of those get spun silly.
MR: Not very well. Government (and particularly SARS) are better at it but more by accident than design. SARS has a Minister of Finance who knows the full value, and how to extract it, of both preemptive media coverage and spin.
MR: America and Britain lead the field. Africa (and particularly South Africa) often finds themselves with the wrong end of the stick.
DA: An international case study was the OUTING of Camilla. In order the get the maximum coverage, Clarence House let it be known she was attending a birthday party at the London's Ritz Hotel with the result that more than dozens of photographers and several TV crews crowded into a narrow street. So severe was the popping of flashes that TV companies had to warn viewers with photo sensitive eyes to look away from their TV screens. The whole exercise backfired in that newspaper polls unanimously agreed it was a rotten idea.
MR: A local case study? You ask for simple examples and the simplest way to do that is to give a few of the phrases used which illustrate SPIN. They don't need to be attributed…
Are corporate reputations really damaged by SPIN?
MR: Certainly. Microsoft's image, for example, has taken a serious hammering from spin – putting Apple and Linux into the ‘White Knight' role. (If you respond to that statement “Damn right, Microsoft exploit their position unfairly”, then perhaps you are a victim of spin… or at least been swayed by it).
MR: Avoid the mistake made by many South African companies. Do NOT remain silent. Rebut and defend vigorously and aggressively. Remaining quiet and hoping it will go away is interpreted by both the media and the public as ‘having something to hide' or ‘guilty by inference'. Don't expect to be able to ‘Manage the Crisis' spin can cause. You may be able to manage your response but ‘managing the crisis'? That's like saying you are going to manage a hurricane. The best you can hope for is to limit damage. There are no magic bullets and anyone who says he has one is spinning you…
DA: An insight into the communications for one of the world's unique and oldest institutions.
DA: Anyone in the communications industry who thinks they know it all.
Dickie Arbiter was responsible for media engagements and relations for Queen Elizabeth II, as well as for the Prince of Wales and late Diana Princess of Wales, having handled all operational media requirements for the funeral of the Princess. He is currently a public speaker, commentator and media trainer, having retired from the UK Royal Household in 2000.
Malcolm Russell, CEO of the Broadcast Development Group, has extensive experience in broadcasting, starting with the old Rhodesia Broadcasting Corporation in Zimbabwe immediately after leaving school. Later, he went on to work with the SABC and other top radio and TV stations in the country. He re-positioned both 5FM and Radio 702 in the market place with great success, taking 702 into the here and now by starting up talk radio. He also managed both 5FM and 702 for some time. Over the last twelve years he has trained many of the broadcasters and interviewers you hear and see today.
