non-denial denial
Seeming rebuttal isn't
A non-denial denial is a statement that appears to refute an accusation without actually doing so.
Politicians and public figures use it to seem forthcoming while avoiding direct lies: He denied the affair, but notice he only said he "never had an inappropriate relationship"—classic non-denial denial.
The technique relies on careful word choice, narrow definitions, or addressing a slightly different question than the one asked.
- nondenialAbsence of contradiction
- disaffirmationRejection of validity
- no commentRefusal to speak
- doublespeakDeliberately misleading language
- media spinBiased information presentation
gainsaying · equivocation · evasion · spin doctoring · obfuscation · deflection · prevarication · misrepresentation · hedging · circumlocution · damage control · weasel words · disingenuousness · elusiveness · ambiguity · subterfuge · vagueness · rationalization
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