Most of us have heard the expression media spin.
How would you define it?
Do you think you know when you have encountered it?
Is it conscious or unconscious on the part of the writer or the publication?
Does it affect you?
Yes.

media spin (is) a term often used interchangeably with bias. But… spin is actually subtler and more insidious. It is the shading of meaning or interpretation of events in favour of a particular point of view…

Canadian Ira Basen is writing a book and has come up with several ways spin happens.

1. The use of emotional words.
2. Orwellian misuse of words.
3. Self-censorship. What is not reported.
4. The way something is reported. ie: sensationalizing
5. Oversimplification
6. Failure to present opposing interpretations of the facts.
7. Giving credibility to unidentified and unsubstantiated sources.

Dave Pollard of How to Save the World breaks down those examples above with very current examples. He ends with this:

To the extent they get it right, they deserve a lot of credit — it’s a difficult, thankless, often dangerous and tedious job. To the extent they, and their editors, let spin creep into their stories, we have a duty as readers and viewers and citizens to recognize it, and discount it accordingly. The fact that so many of us are using the Internet to learn more, to check out other interpretations of events, and to get behind the stories so we can understand and talk about the issues facing our world more knowledgeably, we are contributing to the democratic process, and helping to reduce spin. At the same time, there is a tendency in the blogosphere to frequent sites authored and populated by like minds, and some of the hysterics of extremists of every stripe are quite frightening.

He is correct. The danger of exposing yourself to a lot of spin is that you find yourself off balance.
I’d think it is important learn how information is given, and how we receive it, (garbage in - garbage out) and try to become as wise as a serpent and as gentle as a dove.