The Origins of Modern Spin

Moore traces the origins of ‘modern spin’ to the inauguration of the postwar Labour government in 1945, which he identifies as ‘the moment at which the government recognised the need for communication within a democracy’ (p. 5). But while 1945 was a ‘critical turning point in the history of government communications’ (p. 5), the incoming Labour government did not automatically set about institutionalizing the mechanisms of information control and manipulation which would later come to be associated with the term spin. Instead, Moore argues, they initially came to office with the view that communication was a natural function of democratic government and that carrying out said function would be a straightforward ‘mechanical’ process. As Herbert Morrison wrote in 1945, ‘It is the right and indeed the duty of the Government to inform the public of the facts necessary for the full understanding of its actions and decisions. ... It is

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