How to bury the truth

Jo Moore is still hanging on as a ministerial spin doctor. Conor Ryan, who did the job for David Blunkett for eight years, reveals the 10 secrets of survival in his former trade

1: Every Friday is Good Friday.
For issuing those tedious but mildly damaging stories, of course - as newspapers publish frivolity on Saturdays. One West Wing episode featured Friday as Take Out the Trash Day in the White House, and Whitehall is no different. This is no New Labour innovation either: in opposition, the fax often spewed out Tory releases at 6pm on Friday.
Downside: If it's too big, it may be warmed up for Monday and become a "Government spin" story.

2: Learn to use the internet.
Not for education and home shopping, but to make facts public with nobody knowing you have done so. Just don't signpost it on the front page of www.opengovernment.co.uk or your department's website and nobody will be any the wiser.
Downside: The Government may finally succeed in getting more people on-line.

3: Make full use of Parliament.
If you want to announce something to Parliament, get a friendly MP to ask the question. Then "inform" Parliament by giving a written answer. Answer in general terms, promising to hide (sorry, place) the detailed evidence in the Commons Library (so it doesn't appear in Hansard, the official parliamentary record). With no Opposition these days, hardly anybody will look for it there.
Downside: Unfortunately there remain a few eccentric MPs who think their job is to search for this kind of thing.

4: Don't hide the facts.
This may appear odd but nobody s asking you to shout them from the rooftops. Lead on lots of good news, but use Notes to Editors at the back of releases to present the interesting (but difficult) facts. Even better, try statistical press releases which can be buried on the internet. You virtuously made the facts public: you can t help it if journalists didn t read them properly.
Downside: Those who missed out first time will be more alert later.

5: Make friends with (a few) journalists.
Every spin doctor has his or her favourites (some have favoured newspapers too) whom they brief with exclusive stories all the time. That lets you get a difficult story across the way you want, and the journalist has an inside track . This works particularly well on Sundays, and can give you two bites of the cherry. Who cares if the uncomfortable facts get lost along the way?
Downside: If the journalists add a bit of spin of their own, you may have a busy time reining the story back in.

6: Learn to like local radio.
"Wake Up Worcester" and "Dave's Dover Drivetime" may not win Sony awards, but you can get your boss a good 10 minutes exposure enlightening listeners about that wonderful new hospital wing or school science lab, with no impertinent interruptions from John Humphrys.
Downside: You may get the odd presenter who thinks he is John Humphrys and insists on asking awkward local questions on which you hadn't prepared the minister.

7: Don't bother with Paxman.
Nobody watches Newsnight apart from sad political junkies. There's nothing to be gained and everything to be lost appearing on it. Too many promising politicians have been Paxmaned. Richard and Judy present a lovely teatime show on Channel 4 at five o clock, a far more civilised hour.
Downside: Paxman may try the dastardly "empty chair" trick, making your man seem chicken.

8: Christmas is coming.
Good-news stories should be collected now to fill the pages of print between Christmas and New Year. Get out bad news (ministerial resignations aside) on Christmas Eve: nobody's listening and newsagents are closed on Christmas Day. The TV news is shorter too, and at an odd time.
Downside: Christmas parties when the junior minister you never normally let out gets to drink with journalists and reveal secrets.

9: If a story's worth telling, it's worth telling again.
Some miserable commentators complain that New Labour keeps recycling news. But you must find new ways to repeat old stories: the public doesn't hear them until the fifth repeat. This does not, of course, apply to bad news, which should be quickly forgotten.
Downside: Genuine good news can get dismissed as old hat if you do this too much.

10: Keep your sanity.
While you're in Whitehall, you won't realise this: you really care about tomorrow's headlines. Sadly, Joe Public doesn't appreciate your efforts and rarely notices their results. Sorry.
Upside: Joe Public doesn't notice most of the bad news stories spun by journalists either.

Conor Ryan was political adviser and occasional spin doctor for David Blunkett from 1993 to June 2001.