Page 157 - An Introduction to Political Communication Second Edition

AN INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL COMMUNICATION

relations professionals, whose job it is to attempt to ensure that the
interpretation of a speaker’s words (or gaffes) is a convenient and
desirable one. These ‘spin doctors’ seek to shape the journalistic
agenda in making sense of their employers’ discourse. This they
may do by issuing press releases clarifying ambiguous or
contradictory remarks; having quiet words with key journalists and
pundits; or giving news conferences. Leading politicians will also
employ the services of ‘minders’, who manage the details of media
encounters and attempt to anticipate and neutralise risks. In Britain,
following the rise of Tony Blair and the election of Labour into
government, the most famous (and infamous) of these became
Alistair Campbell, the new prime minister’s press secretary.
Campbell did in government what he had done in opposition—
seduced, cajoled, harried and intimidated the media from behind
the scenes— into giving his leader the best possible coverage in any
given circumstance. Spokespersons, on the other hand, literally
speak for the politician in public. In the United States the presidential
spokesman or woman has a key role in maintaining daily contact
between the president, the media, and the public. Where the
president may give a news conference weekly, monthly, or less
frequently, the spokesperson provides a constant flow of soundbites
which are assumed to be authoritative. When George Stepanopolous
or Dee Dee Myers spoke to US journalists about Clinton
administration policy, the latter know that they were receiving the
presidential perspective on events. Even when presidents and other
political figures make personal appearances at a news conference,
rally, or other event, the words they speak are usually not their
own, but those of a speech-writer who will attempt to present the
desired message in a media-friendly form, with sufficiently snappy
soundbites.

Image management

The supply by politicians of structured news events for the purposes
of maximising favourable media coverage is accompanied by a
heightened concern with image: the personal image of political actors
on the one hand, and the corporate image of the party on the other.
In the area of personal image, modern politicians are judged not
only by what they say and do, but how they say and do it. In short,
political style now counts for almost as much as substance. One
could argue that this has always been an important factor in political
success, and that leaders from George Washington onwards have

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