Is spin simply a response to negative news?

According to a new report released by the Assciated Press, 99 U.S. soldiers killed themselves last year.  This is the highest rate of suicide in the Army in 26 years.  This statistic speaks for itself and is a tremendously sad thing to read.

But following the release of this report, there are questions to ask. How is the U.S. Army and the U.S. government going to smooth this over with the American public?  We’re in a time of war. And more importantly, we’re in a war that doesn’t exactly have the overwhelming support of all Americans. So, while this report is an unwelcome reminder of what war brings with it, you have to wonder how this is going to be spun.

These findings are devastating, to say the very least.  These findings evoke emotion in a reader.  These findings are enough to make people act on such emotion.  And that’s the last thing the Army and the government need.

Any negative news, especially news with the effect of this report, is countered in some way.  There’s always an explanation or a reminder of why something happened.  But in the end, it’s all spin.  There’s no way to get around it. Negative news presented to the public through the media is generally, if not always, followed by a spin on the original story attempting to display the story in a positive light.

How can this type of spin be stopped? And how can the Equal Time Rule (part of the Fairness Doctrine) be legitimate in the eyes of spin? — Angela Loiacono

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