I’ll admit that I don’t know the exact definition of “spin” — from a public relations perspective. I guess it’s trying to put a smile face on everything. And I’m sure that during 30 years in corporate public relations I was as guilty of trying that (on occasion?) as the next guy.
But I have to say that I had a good laugh when I heard President Bush on the CNN news last night. He said we weren’t in a recession. We were just facing a slowdown. Well, I don’t know. I guess it is a matter of words — and in the case of the president — trust and credibility. How does the saying go? When your neighbor loses her job (or home) it’s a recession. When you lose yours it’s a depression.
Well, I clearly can’t figure it out. Maybe David Letterman can. Here goes.
Seriously folks. The problem is that most of us no longer believe what the president or members of his administration says. With little or no trust and credibility, it looks like all they have left is spin. Maybe words do matter.
