Who are spin – doctors?

By Saybhan Samat

(March 31, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) A new phenomenon in Sri Lanka today is the proliferation of an ilk called spin doctors. They abound in plenty, writing and broadcasting points of view in support of whoever they are supporting. Broadly speaking although there are spin doctors for a variety of causes, the spin –doctors that are high-profile are those in support of the ruling party and those that oppose it. Those spinning for the government today are for the major part those that have received some benefit from the authorities and those spinning for the opposition are those who are spinning in the hope of getting benefit and perks from the opposition in the event that the opposition comes into power at a later date.

There are however honest persons both supporting the authorities and those in the opposition on account of them believing that their convictions for supporting the authorities or the opposition are genuine. They honestly analyze events and give sound reason as to why they support the views they hold for the authorities or for the opposition. On the other hand the spin-doctor at most times is a sycophant, prostrating at the feet of dishonest and corrupt politicians and praising them and their policies to high heaven, although the people know that these politicians do not deserve any praise whatsoever. Spin doctors on the opposition side are mostly those working for the INGOs and NGOs. Spin doctors working for the NGOs further the agendas of foreign governments and spin stories to promote intervention by the UN or promoting R2P.

Spin doctors on both sides are perhaps the best-paid, enjoying unbelievable reward in perks for themselves and their families. Since the geo-strategic importance of Sri Lanka has grown INGOs and NGOs are hell-bent to indirectly help foreign governments to implement their agendas and machinations in our strife torn island.

For the most part spin-doctors as the term implies are those who sell their souls for a mess of pottage, they are very obsequious before their masters and there need for money and perks for the shameless work they do is unbounding. Those who can identify the spin doctors know them as well as the lines in their palms. They are generally scorned upon as they tell lies are dishonest and have no principles.

Spin doctors have existed even before history. They are adept at massaging the ego of those in authority. At the flip of a coin they can produce a panegyric over-blowing the true character of a ruler. Monarchs and rulers paid them handsomely and gave them high office in their government.

On the other hand spin-doctors who are against the rulers working for the opposition, produced works for the opposition, that would ridicule the rulers good works, character assassinate them in a way to escape defamation and libel and scorn on their policies and programmes.

Common to both, were the lies, sycophancies, obsequiousness and outrage in their work. It is very easy to detect the efforts of the spin –doctor. The more the spin-doctor writes or broadcasts the more hypocrisy and baseness of his/her character is unmasked. Although the practice of spin-doctoring is a universal phenomenon and spin-doctors justify the immoral work they are doing the honest people are aware of their despicable character.

Spin-doctors can be marginalized by honest broadcasters and writers producing work that analyze events dispassionately, truthfully with a moral base with facts and with spiritual knowledge. There are well known writers and broadcasters who do this and the public know them well. The public are not fools, these writers and broadcasters ultimately influence events and the destiny of nations. The only problem is that such writers and broadcasters are only very few in number, it is the spin-doctor who holds sway, however they do not influence the common people very much.

With the Western Province provincial council elections just around the corner, one can notice the spin-doctor’s work in the leaflets of the hand-outs that the candidates are distributing. Even the cut-outs and posters all over town have the markings of spin-doctor work.

Spin-doctors mainly thrive on publishing and broadcasting lies. When truth prevails after sometime as it must, in some instances these spin doctors are assaulted even assassinated. If spin doctors don’t spin, but only adhere to the truth, they would be contributing a valuable and priceless gift to the well-being of any society.

-Sri Lanka Guardian