Dead cat strategy

High school (ages 12+)
Thinking & Learning

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/dead-cat-strategy

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the mechanism of deployment?Involves the strategic introduction of a shocking, sensational, or highly controversial announcement
2. What is the notable application?Associated with the successful London mayoral campaigns of Boris Johnson
3. What is the Big Distraction Trick?It is a way people use a big, surprising announcement to get everyone to stop thinking about something else.
4. Why do people use the Big Distraction Trick?They want to hide problems or bad news by making something else more interesting.

Public Discourse: The ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas within a society about public matters.
Media Agenda: The list of topics that the media chooses to cover and emphasize.
Narrative Control: The process of shaping how a story or event is understood by the public.