Don't believe everything you read

A sense of curiosity and challenge is always helpful

"Who the hell spins these days?" ...... That was the reaction of a post on linkedin that crossed my feed. It as written by someone in a PR/marketing business and told an anecdote of someone who didn't make it in PR because they could not "spin stories". The thrust of the post was that PR was about authenticity, truth, trust and building a voice that was honest. There was no longer any room for spin.

All good stuff on first inspection. Comments from industry peers agreed that it was so passé to talk about spin and that life had moved on from the dark and distasteful days of manipulative communications to be replaced by a gentler and warmer world of authenticity.

I also suspect that the term "story" might also be frowned upon given its close and therefore uncomfortable relationship with the fictional connotations of the term.

I like the world that they live in - honesty, authenticity, truth, reality... nothing wrong with any of those. Of course not. I do like the way that they appear through my new rose-tinted spectacles.

However, the world that I recall also includes politics, different opinions, multi-faceted arguments and shades of grey, not to mention a raft of "fake news". A quick glance at news coverage or social media confirms (reassuringly, at least in one way) that all of these are alive and well most definitely kicking. However we might describe it, there appears to remain a need to position an argument, or an opinion, or a story or even be selective with some "facts" to support a position or a message.

Wipe away the look of shock and horror that there might remain a role in placing a "story" in a way that reflects it in a light that is more favourable, tinged in the reassuring hue that is more comforting because it confirms the writers and readers bias (whilst also aligning however vaguely with authenticity and honesty by the way). It's life. We all know (or should know) by now that we have inbuilt cognitive biases, and that we can't take everything at face value; that we can't naively accept all that we read. "Spin" or whatever you might term it, is alive and well.

The message here is not that PR might encompass the dark arts of manipulation of opinion or the skewing of fact. It's that we all need to be aware of consuming content or "stories" from any source and accept them as authentic and honest. Don't believe everything you read. Critically decide what is valid, helpful and relevant .... and put aside the rest.

Brands, however polished or glowing, however authentic or otherwise, are created to attract customers and revenue or further the position or stance that owners wish to take. It's not that I might not believe them or even align with them, or trust them. It's just that an inbuilt ability to challenge, question, be curious, or even be cynical, are handy abilities to have in your tool-kit. Things might not always be as they are portrayed.

Now, where did I put those rose-coloured spectacles?