by KYW's Dr. Marciene Mattleman

According to a new book by Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Hall Jamieson, spin is polite for deception.  It misleads people about a matter as trivial as beauty cream or as deadly serious as cancer.

"unSpun: Finding Facts in a World of Disinformation" is a terrific read that gives example after example of how we are manipulated by politicians and advertisers and how value-laden words like death tax, instead of estate tax, color our perceptions.

Take a cold remedy that hypes good results based on reliable data. Never is it mentioned that on subsequent trials far fewer people were helped.

All of us fall for words like “scientific breakthrough,” and tend to believe “factual claims” and things that are “clinically proven.” Think about the language that preceded the war in Iraq. 

The examples of how we all cling to our beliefs even in the face of strong evidence showing that  a position is not valid, will ring true to readers and steps are presented that help one examine the facts.

The website that the authors have developed factcheck.org should help.