Re: Massage the message

Posted by Bruce Kahl on August 01, 2001

In Reply to: Re: Massage the message posted by Christy T. on August 01, 2001

: I have heard the expression "to massage the message."
: I am wondering if it is from a quote, or if it has become a phrase of speech. And what does it mean?

I could not find any hint or clue for your phrase. Though Google did give me a lot of links to massage parlors.

But I guess that your phrase could be what a "spin doctor" does. A "spin doctor" is a person responsible for ensuring that others interpret an event from a particular point of view. The message is pulled and twisted, as in a massage, to satisfy an agenda.
For instance, the Phillip Morris Company recently defended its tobacco products by concluding cigarettes are not a drain on a country's budget, in part because the government saves money on health care, pensions and housing when smokers die prematurely.