How The KGB Helps Us Unspin the Spin

We see an estimated 5000 communication messages per day — and are increasingly good at blocking out almost all of the ones we don’t find poignant. As part of that, our bullshit detectors and spin meters are becoming fine-tuned in their effectiveness. Good for us!

But as misinformation, conspiracy creep and other corrosive communication increases, it makes sense that our public and personal defences against those modern phenomenon also need to increase. If you need convincing about the need to be vigilant, imagine the potential disaster in a COVID world of anti-vaxxer thinking.

So, if we want to understand disinformation and propaganda and how it is directed at us, why not go to the Grand Masters themselves, eg, the KGB?

The Soviet KGB, and to a significant degree its successor, Russian FSB, spent 70 years developing what’s essentially best practice in the weaponised use of information and communication to control behaviours — whether it was that of USSR citizens or that of the citizens of foreign opponent regimes. They literally wrote the textbooks.

One section of said textbooks would be a classic KGB tactic that really helps us understand when and how we are being spun by those in authority — whether in a government or an organisation. When we understand that — when the emperor has no clothes - we are empowered in our responses and choices.

That tactic can be called The D’s: Deny, Distort/Distract, Deflect, and let’s break down how they are deployed.

Step 1: Denial. Let’s talk about Organisation X and its CEO, Zeus. Organisation X has been accused by whistle blowers and the media as actively and covertly harvesting data from customers and illegally or inappropriately selling it to external parties. Under Step 1, Zeus is likely to say: “No such thing occurs at Organisation X. We abide by all laws and regulations.”

For there to be substantive damage to his interests, Zeus knows somebody has to prove the allegation in evidence. which is hard. He’s also left his answer flexible enough to not be somehow binding. People like Zeus have made one most used forms of denial in 2021 “fake news” (which is those in authority use to denial or dismiss everything they don’t like hearing or disagree with.) Sound familiar from thousands of instances?

Step 2: Distortion / Distraction. Organisation X and Zeus want to disempower or trip up the stakeholders that are on their tail with an allegation. To achieve this under Step 2, Zeus could try different options — and in fact sometimes all at once or in sequence. He might say one or all of the following:

· “The whistle-blower is a disgruntled ex-employee.”

· “The report is inaccurate / wrong / takes issues out of context / hasn’t considered etc..”

· “This is part of an on-going and biased media attack against Organisation X and our industry as a whole.”

A key characteristic of Step 2 is to play with the power balance, and to make Organisation X somehow a victim of either an emotional grudge, someone else’s incompetence, or a malicious and intentional campaign.

It doesn’t have to convince 99/100 people; it just has to find resonance with a small group of people who might already be pre-disposed to either hate the media or been through a tough employee situation etc. The KGB by the way has long established that successful propaganda isn’t about mass behavioural and attitudinal change; rather, it’s about sowing seeds of doubt that slow down or destabilise their opponents.

Step 3: Deflect. If Steps 1 and 2 have been effective, Organisation X and Zeus now wants to break away from the issue and the original allegation. It wants, like military generals, to fight on a battle field of its choosing. It decides to be ‘pro-active’. Zeus might offer the following in related regards:

· “What we do is enhance people’s on-line experience by working with partners to tailor content.”

· “The Internet is a fast-moving realm that consumers control through their clicks.”

· “We get consistently great feedback from consumers.”

Namely, deflection is often the positive spin that an organisation is putting forward to reconnect with its perceived customers, stakeholder and interests. It’s about turning a negative into an advantage.

Let’s finally look at the real world example of MH17, the downing of the Malaysian aircraft by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, and the spinners at the FSB. Denial: We didn’t do it. Distortion / distraction: There is no evidence. Deflection: The plane was shot down by the government of Ukraine to make us look bad.

So, my challenge to you is this. Deploy the D’s in reverse tonight. When you’re watching the news and listening to various talking heads, listen for the denial, for the distraction, and for the deflection.

When you know you’re being spun, you can step off the ride before you get dizzy.