Berawal dari diskusi di milis Perhumas tentang Spin Doctor, sangat menarik untuk dibahas lebih lanjut lagi. Diskusi dimulai pada saat Ridwan N. Baik, “melempar bola pemantik” tentang Petaka Sang Jubir, kemudian diskusi pun dimulai. Berikut copy dari diskusinya:

From: “Ridwan Nyak Baik” <rbaik@xxxxxx. com>
Date: Mon, 10 May 2010 12:12:38 +0700
To: <iPerhumas@yahoogrou ps.com>
Subject: [iPerhumas] Petaka Sang Jubir

Dear all;

Informasi datang bagai dikucur dari langit dalam hitungan second. Perkembangan yang mengharu biru akan kepergian Sri Mulyani Indrawati (SMI) ke Bank Dunia (lesas dari polemic “kehormatan” atau “melarikan diri”) sudah beredar sejak awal minggu lalu. Dan fakta sekarang semua kita mahfum kalau SMI sudah diijinkan SBY pergi untuk duduk diposisinya yang baru selaku Managing Director Bank Dunia.

Namun apa dan mengapa sang jubir istana hingga rabu yll masih menggunakan kata bersayap: “Mundur itu nggak benar sama sekali. Tapi Istana mendapat kabar beliau ditunjuk jadi managing director,” kata Jubir Kepresidenan Julian Aldrin Pasha saat dihubungi detikcom, Rabu (5/5/2010).

Menurut saya, itulah petaka sang jubir (seorang PR) yang meski sudah terang benderang tetap saja masih memainkan jurus plintir spin doctor.

Mengingat (kini) informasi dengan mudah dapat diakses public dari 1001 sumber maka apakah jurus spin doctor main plintir masih laku diperagakan oleh seorang jubir atau PRO lainnya. Menarik untuk didiskusikan.

Tabik;

RnB

============ =======

Managing Director Bank Dunia
Jubir Presiden: Informasi Sri Mulyani Mundur Tak Benar
Laurencius Simanjuntak – detikFinance

Jakarta – Istana Kepresidenan membantah kabar pengunduran diri Menteri Keuangan Sri Mulyani per 1 Juni mendatang. Namun demikian, Istana sudah mendengar Sri Mulyani ditunjuk sebagai salah satu managing director Bank Dunia.

“Mundur itu nggak benar sama sekali. Tapi Istana mendapat kabar beliau ditunjuk jadi managing director,” kata Jubir Kepresidenan Julian Aldrin Pasha saat dihubungi detikcom, Rabu (5/5/2010).

Julian mengatakan Istana juga tidak pernah menerima surat menerima surat pengunduran diri Sri Mulyani.

“Surat belum pernah saya lihat. Pengunduran diri tidak benar sama sekali,” kata dia.

Sebelumnya beredar kabar bahwa atas penunjukan Sri Mulyani di Bank Dunia itu, Sri Mulyani telah mengajukan mundur dari kursi Menteri Keuangan.
(lrn/nrl)

http://us.detikfina nce.com/read/ 2010/05/05/ 100000/1351360/ 4/jubir-presiden -informasi- sri-mulyani- mundur-tak- benar

—– Original Message —–
From: Erik Tapan
To: Milis Iperhumas
Sent: Monday, May 10, 2010 12:51 AM
Subject: Re: [iPerhumas] Petaka Sang Jubir

Menarik untuk didiskusikan. 🙂
Maaf, sebagai newbie, bolehkah saya menanyakan (agar bisa memperoleh pemahaman yang sama apa itu “jurus spin doctor”.
Kenapa namanya begitu?

Terima kasih kalau ada yang bersedia menjelaskannya.

Btw, bukankah kita semua sudah mengetahui bahwa saat ini (untuk kalangan tertentu) kalau ada yang berbicara “bukan A”, berarti memang A?

Best Regards,
eriktapan.com
Sent from my BlackBerry®

From: “mediacare” <mediacare@xxxx.net.id>
Date: Mon, 10 May 2010 18:21:17 -0700
To: <iPerhumas@yahoogrou ps.com>
Subject: Re: [iPerhumas] Petaka Sang Jubir

Kalau tak salah “spin doctor” itu semacam jurus memutar-balikkan fakta, alias tak sesuai dengan kasunyatan.CMIIW

Facebook: Radityo Djadjoeri
YM: radityo_dj
Twitter: @mediacare

From: silihaw@xxxx. com
Date: Tue, 11 May 2010 03:37:05 +0000
To: <iPerhumas@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: [iPerhumas] Petaka Sang Jubir

Sekedar menambahkan mas Radit,
Spin Doctor itu merupakan salah satu keahlian dalam Public Relations untuk menguatkan pesan yang akan disampaikan. Sepertinya pola angin yang memutar, Spin juga demikian. Pesan diputar sedemikian rupa hingga mampu menembus sasaran. Biasanya jadi tidak terbantahkan, dan dilakukan secara elegan. Dan satu hal yang paling penting, Spin bukan berbohong apalagi memutarbalikkan fakta.
Hanya saja, tidak semuanya setuju dengan pola ini. Banyak yang mengkonotasikan dengan pemutar balikan fakta. Dan memang pada kenyataannya, banyak PR yang memutarbalikkan fakta, dan menyebut taktiknya sebagai spin doctor. Bahkan dengan bangga menyatakan dirinya sebagai spin doctor.
Selain itu, aplikasi Spinning juga belum tentu dalam bentuk kalimat belaka.

Studi kasus Clinton-Monica Lewinsky merupakan salah satu kisah sukses. Melalui pidato impeachment, Clinton bisa mengalihkan “kesalahan” slingkuhnya dari kesalahan presiden, menjadi kesalahan seorang kepala keluarga biasa.
Saya ada bukunya History of Spin jika ada yang berminat.
Silahkan mengkoreksi jika ada yang luput.
Salam,

Silih

Sent from AsiaPR HeadOffice

Re: [iPerhumas] Petaka Sang Jubir
Selasa, 11 Mei, 2010 20:54
Dari:”Pandu Takhta” <pandumonon@xxxx.com>
Kepada: iPerhumas@yahoogroups.com

Ini dari Spin Doctor, Frank Esser

The term “spin doctor” is an amalgam of “spin,” meaning the interpretation or slant placed on events (which is a sporting metaphor, referring to the spin a pool player puts on a cue ball), and “doctor,” derived from the figurative uses of the word to mean patch up, piece together, and falsify. The “doctor” part also derives from the employment of professionals rather than untrained amateurs to administer the spin.

The term “spin doctor” was coined by American novelist Saul Bellow, who spoke in his 1977 Jefferson Lecture about political actors “capturing the presidency itself with the aid of spin doctors.”

The word “spin” first appeared in the press on January 22, 1979, in a Guardian Weekly article; the phrase “spin doctor” first appeared in the press on October 21, 1984, in a New York Times editorial commenting on the televising of presidential debates. It took another decade until it was picked up by academics: Maltese (1994, 215–216) discussed the significance of spin doctoring for political communication, and Sumpter and Tankard (1994) for public relations.

Theoretical concepts most closely related to spin are priming and framing (? Framing of the News; Priming Theory). Medvic (2001), for example, considers “deliberate priming” as the main responsibility of spin doctors, by which he means producing campaign messages that focus on issues that are to a politician’s advantage and benefit..

From: arum yudarwati <arum021@xxxx. com>
Subject: artikel tentang Spin doctor Re: [iPerhumas] Petaka Sang Jubir
To: iPerhumas@yahoogroups.com
Received: Wednesday, 12 May, 2010, 2:53 PM

Rekan-rekan,

Berikut ada cuplikan dari Platform Online Magazine berkaitan dengan Spin Doctor. Dalam artikel ini disebutkan ada konotasi negatif maupun positif. Silakan disimak.

Spin Doctors Make Music, Not PR

By Jessica Boyd

Online reference http://www.platform magazine. com/article. cfm?alias= Spin-Doctors- Make-Music- Not-PR

When you hear the words “spin doctor,” what image comes to mind? If you see the popular 90s music group The Spin Doctors, think again. Most people think about only one group of people: public relations professionals.

“Spin doctor” has almost become a synonym for “public relations professional.” The American public sees public relations as a way for its practitioners to spin the truth in order to boost their clients’ public image.

In a review for the book PR: A Persuasive Industry? Spin, Public Relations and the Shaping of the Modern Media, author Seth Brown said, “People tend to think that PR involves being manipulative and saying whatever is in the employer’s best interests.” He said the authors of the book view public relations as “amoral, a tool for good and evil purposes.”

Gini Dietrich, CEO of Arment Dietrich Inc. and author of “The Fight Against Destructive Spin” blog, gave her own definition of spin in the public relations world. She said, “People always refer to PR professionals as spin doctors, meaning they can take a client’s business and turn it into a newsworthy story that a reporter would want to write about, even if it means not telling the full truth.” According to Dietrich, public relations professionals are often lumped in with professions, such as used car salesmen, “because people believe we lie to tell our clients’ story.”

PR professionals are believed to spin the facts in a positive way in order to make headlines and gain press for their clients. Sometimes the “spin” is a simple omission of facts, but public relations professionals have been known to blatantly lie to protect their clients’ image.

“I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” Nine words ultimately defined former President Bill Clinton’s presidency and created one of the most complicated public relations crises in American history. President Clinton and his press squad continued to lie about the president’s infamous affair with his intern until the facts could no longer be ignored. The former president eventually came clean, but it was virtually forced after incriminating facts surfaced. Because of bad PR practices, Clinton’s public image has been forever tarnished.

Spin has a negative connotation, especially in the public relations field. But is spin always a negative practice?

Mike Cohen, executive vice president of Ackermann PR, has a somewhat different definition of spin doctor that removes the negative connotation. He said spin is simply trying to present the clients’ story and facts in the best way possible without lying. According to Cohen, honest spin in public relations is no different than a child explaining how he accidentally broke a vase: both the professional and the child present the facts in a way that will alleviate as much blame and criticism as possible.

Although he believes spin can be positive, Cohen also acknowledges unethical spinning practices. He said, “All we do is try and put a good face on facts. Now if anyone tries to make a bad thing sound like it’s really good — well, that can be a problem.”

Even if “good spin” does exist, public relations practitioners must continue to combat the lying associated with negative spin. This may seem like a daunting task, but there are some simple solutions to keep spin ethical and beneficial for clients.

Gini Dietrich combats negative spin through her blog “The Fight Against Destructive Spin.” She explained that public relations practitioners should be firm with clients. She said, “It’s even more important to tell the truth and never lie, even if it means conflict or uncomfortable situations.” Dietrich maintained that the best policy for addressing the spin doctor label is honesty. She said, “If we all remember that it’s our job to tell the truth, not to do everything the client asks, eventually the label will go away.”

People may define spin in different ways, either positively or negatively, but most will agree on one thing: honesty is the best policy when addressing a client’s needs. If this policy is upheld, “spin doctor” and its negative connotation could be erased from PR vocabulary. Maybe then The Spin Doctors would no longer be confused with people who doctor dishonest behavior.

regards,
Gregoria Arum Yudarwati

Memang memanipulasi persepsi dan menggiring opini publik adalah merupakan salah satu keahlian seorang Public Relations (PR). Tapi apakah sesuai dengan tujuan dari PR itu sendiri ;

“A public relations practitioner is a social scientist, an advisor to organizations, who helps to educate and win over the public, to accept social goods or concepts.
-Edward Bernays, the Father of PR-

Bisa dibilang sesuai jika dalam konteks untuk menggiring persepsi. Tetapi ingatlah kode etik. Seperti ilmu lainnya, Komunikasi, dengan turunannya Public Relations, seperti pisau bermata dua: untuk kebaikan atau untuk “to do very bad things”. Oleh karena itu kode etik dalam dunia PR “is a must”.

Beberapa kasus, sejarah, bahkan figur yang sangat berperan dalam perkembangan “PR as a spin doctor” dapat ditelaah dan difahami di buku PR! A Social History of Spin oleh Stuart Ewen.

Untuk yang ingin tahu mengenai isi buku ini, bisa download rangkuman dari buku tersebut di SINI (history of spin).

Jadi, apakah anda pernah mengalami perubahan persepsi terhadap suatu organisasi, perusahaan, figur/tokoh, kejadian, dan hal-hal lain di kehidupan Anda sekari-hari? Jika YA, selamat anda sudah berhasil di-spinning ;P