A knowledge of how the media work is a prerequisite for politics students. I first recognised the power of spin doctoring when I worked in the United States at the time of the 1988 Presidential Election. During a televised debate between the Vice-Presidential candidates, the Republican Dan Quayle unwisely appeared to compare himself with President Kennedy. The surprising thing about this incident was not the exchange, but the fact that it was endlessly repeated in the media and was spun by the Democrats as being a decisive blow to the Republicans. It would be fair to say that this impression survives today, even though the Republicans subsequently won the election.
Politicians have to recognise that the media is changing.
There is a tremendous demand for television news, given the 24-hour news stations and proliferating channels. The print media also puts an increasing premium on visual news, and the outlets are growing in number. So politicians have to reach the electorate in a fragmenting media world, and capture the attention of people who are not interested in politics as it is traditionally defined. In this situation, visual messages and punchy sound bites have a premium over dry, reasoned arguments. For example, few can understand Economic and Monetary Union, but everyone understands a sex or a financial scandal.