PM Brown: More or Less Spin?
As Gordon Brown begins to settle into his new job amidst claims that the Blairite days of spin are over, we decided to ponder his options when it comes to media relations.
Gordon Brown’s plan is to present himself as a more serious, honest and sincere politician than Tony Blair was, responding to the feeling in Westminster that the country is tired of spin.
Important to note at this point that spin is not another name for public relations. Spin is the business of turning bad news into good news, or covering it up altogether. It’s bad practice for Government because they have an obligation to tell us the truth.
Hence we arrive at the situation we are in at the end of the Blair era, when few people trust the media and even less trust the Government.
The challenge for Gordon Brown and his public relations advisors is to find a balance. Genuine, evenly distributed news, passed through accountable and responsible channels will earn Gordon’s Government respect. But after so many years of tasty and tantalising stories, the public may have developed an appetite for something a little spicier. We all may claim to be ‘tired of spin’ but starve us of sensational news stories for too long and perhaps Gordon will start to look a bit boring.
Especially up against Cameron’s Tories who have only just begun to understand the benefits of a good PR man, although his recent trip to Rwanda whilst his own
constituency
was under water, wasn't his best use of PR, or even common sense.
No matter how spin-free Brown may claim to be, he will still need to create a positive perception of himself and his Government. And he will need the media to help him do this. He will need to maintain media control. Blair’s powerful media allies have become used to receiving leaked news stories before anyone else. What will their response be to Brown ‘cutting them off’, surely he’ll need to keep them sweet for fear they will turn against him.
After promising change, Brown will need to be seen to be making some. Media relations from Downing Street will surely change. And if he uses PR responsibly with long-term objectives, not for spin, but for genuine news dissemination, strategic profile raising and policy communication distributed across all media, not just the favoured few, he could see long term benefits.
The problem is that Brown needs to win an election in the short term. Our verdict is that we will see some tidying up of media relations at Westminster, Brown will attempt to be fairer, more even-handed and responsible. Whether his advisors, the media or their public will let him is yet to be seen.
|
