Political Communication Terms

noun a publicity agent or press agent

verb to provide publicity or promotion

• The company hired a public relations firm to handle the flack from the recent scandal.
• I'm tired of all the flack I get from my parents about my messy room.
• I can't believe the flack I got from my boss for being late again.
• She took the flack for her team's mistakes and faced the consequences.

verb to state or represent incorrectly

• It is important not to misstate facts in a legal document.
• Don't misstate what happened, just tell the truth.
• I heard you misstated your age to get into the club.
• She misstated her feelings to avoid confrontation.

noun a person who works to generate publicity for a client or organization

• The company hired a press agent to handle all media inquiries.
• The press agent is in charge of talking to the media for the company.
• The press agent is the one who spins the news for us.
• The press agent is like a magician, making sure our image stays positive in the public eye.

• The company's spokesman issued a statement regarding the recent merger.
• The spokesperson for the company talked about the new project.
• The company's rep gave us the latest updates on the situation.
• The spokesman for the team is like the voice of the organization.

noun a shortened form of 'disinformation', false or misleading information that is spread deliberately to deceive or manipulate people

• The spread of disinfo can have serious consequences on public perception and decision-making.
• Don't believe everything you read online, there's a lot of disinfo out there.
• I can't stand all the disinfo being shared on social media.
• Her mind was clouded with disinfo, making it hard for her to see the truth.