you spin me.

There is something that I need to get off of my chest. It is about time that I confess my new love. It is a love that has burned before, but never so strongly. Housed in morning newspapers, broadcast packages and behind the computer screen, it fuels the day. If you know me, you probably have already seen my affection, but now I am officially declaring it. I love political news.

Having spent the weekend in Harrogate at the Spring Conference for the Liberal Democrats, I find myself somewhat inspired. My weekend was consumed with scurrying around the conference center at 5 a.m. to deliver press clippings to important people. Other than that I helped out around our make-shift office, editing press releases and compiling lists of journalists. I also managed to sit in on a few speeches, from which I learned an extra ordinate amount about the party. I am starting to believe more and more that I might be a Liberal Democrat somewhere inside. Yeah, I've been drinking the Kool-Aid.

Aside from work, I did a lot of observing. Just watching how those around me carefully construct press releases or organize a speaker for the nightly news is vastly interesting. In the end, I have planned to be on the receiving end of all of these messages, so it is valuable to see how the spin works from the inside.

However, the longer that I am here the more that I have been thinking about my own career goals. Working spin has a certain thrill to it that was unexpected. Though I have always stood by the valency and nobility of being a journalist, there is an appeal to the darker, dirtier side of working PR. 'It's the truth -- but on my terms' type stuff. I think that political PR has an appeal because of the importance of the repercussions of the message. PR engages the devious, critical thinking, somewhat conniving and incredibly passionate parts of my personality... and it feels so good!