wagged the dog
Created diversionary crisis
Wagged the dog is the past tense of wag the dog, meaning to create a diversion—typically a military action or political crisis—to distract public attention from a scandal or domestic problem.
The phrase comes from the expression "the tail wagging the dog," suggesting that a minor element controls the whole.
It gained currency after the 1997 film *Wag the Dog*, about a fabricated war to deflect from a presidential scandal: Critics accused the administration of wagging the dog with the sudden airstrikes.
- smoke and mirrorsDeceptive obfuscation tactics
- wagMove briskly back-and-forth
- yellow journalismReporting prioritizing shock value
- media circusExcessive news coverage event
- spin doctoringStrategic framing of information
dog and pony show · false flag · propaganda · diversionary tactics · red herring · misdirection · cover story · media blackout · bait and switch · sensationalism · disinformation · clickbait · agenda-setting · astroturfing · October surprise · sleight of hand · fake news · planted story