ACM TechNews

Spy Software Can Measure a Politician's Spin

CanWest News Service (05/05/08) Akin, David

Queen's University professor David Skillicorn has developed software that can analyze political text for signs of spin, and could eventually be used by intelligence experts to find hidden meanings in intercepted communications. "We have a great deal of trouble being unnatural in a natural way," Skillicorn says. "When people are trying to hide, that creates signals that may be detectable." Skillicorn's research focuses on designing tools that can find the linguistic cues associated with deception. Skillicorn tested the software using email messages tabled in the Enron trial, the testimony from the Gomery inquiry, and some political campaign speeches, including those from Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain. A preliminary analysis indicates that Obama scored highest on the spin definition used by the software, while McCain scored the lowest. To detect spin, the software looks at the syntax and vocabulary used in a text, such as how often the first-person singular is used, the frequency of simple declarative sentences, and the use of phrases that tend to qualify those declarative sentences. Obama scored higher on the spin scale because his speeches tend to stress visions of the future. Clinton's speeches tend to focus on more concrete policy proposals, and McCain scored the lowest because he tends to talk about himself. The software also gives higher spin scores to politicians who frequently use "we" sentences.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/
story.html?id=00e255b5-8bbe-4341-bd 40-8c299e8a64d1&k=38535

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