The Death of Spin

Charts the rise and fall of the spin culture of the last two decades...

Every decade has its own identity, key values and needs. The 1990s were the age of spin, when the materialism of the 1980s, the desire for instant communication and soundbite democracy came together in the spin culture. This spread throughout society from business and politics even to charities and the church. Somewhere in these polished communications the message was lost.

In this fascinating and highly readable work George Pitcher tells the story of the rise and fall of the spin culture, predicting its final death in the early years of the twenty first century. He examines methods of communication as a reflection of and within the context of the values of society and the process of democracy, before drawing on his considerable experience both as the giver and receiver of spin, to examine how we can move beyond the age of spin.
* A zeitgeist work that captures the quest for meaning in the current age and a desire to progress beyond the heady days of spin culture.
* Charts the history and rationale of spin throughout society from the early days of Margaret Thatcher to the death of spin in the hands of the masters of the spin culture.
* Interspersed with the author's own diary entries as a journalist covering major events of the past twenty years
* Discusses methods of communication, how they reflect the values of the age and the relationship between business and politics
* Discusses the way ahead: how politicians, businesses and institutions can communicate with the general population in the post spin age.
* Author offers a unique perspective with insights both as the giver and receiver of spin.

George Pitcher was industrial editor of The Observer during the Tory privatisation years. He quit while he was ahead when he was voted National Newspaper Industrial Journalist of the Year in 1991and co-founded Luther Pendragon, a communications consultancy operating at the sharp-end of industry and politics, with broadcast-news journalist Charles Stewart-Smith. Over the past decade, his firm has advised senior executives of companies and institutions facing some of the most high-profile and controversial issues of the age and formed the team that advised the Government's Cabinet Office project on the Millennium Bug. He continues to write regular business columns and commentaries and lives in London with his wife and four children.