Complex sentence: In this context, media "spin" became an initial strategy in re-framing issues as the first step in a process of achieving political outcome "a priori" rather than later in the 24/7 news cycles.
Split into simpler sentences: In this context, media "spin" became an initial strategy in re-framing issues. These were first steps in a process calculated to achieve political outcome "a priori" rather than incrementally during subsequent 24/7 news cycles.