Spin
The deliberate reframing of facts to serve someone's position. Narrative with an agenda. (see also Narrative)
How We Say It
spin
Where It Comes From
Old English spinnan — to draw out and twist fibers into thread. The metaphor of spinning a story is ancient — to construct a narrative as one constructs a thread. The political sense — deliberate framing of information to favor a position — emerged in American politics in the 1970s and 1980s with the rise of the 'spin doctor.'
How It's Been Used
The 'spin room' after presidential debates is where partisans frame their candidate's performance for journalists. The professionalization of political communication — campaign consultants, communications strategists, public-relations firms — has made spin a routine operation rather than exceptional. Distinguished from outright lying, though the line is contested.