Wag the dog

Manipulating the media to divert focus

Creating a diversion to mask an underlying problem

Fabricating a crisis to draw attention away from real concerns

Using a minor issue to overshadow a major one

The celebrity's controversial tweet was meant to wag the dog from their personal issues.

The company used a fake press release to wag the dog and avoid negative publicity.

The scandal was an attempt to wag the dog from the real economic problems.

The politician tried to wag the dog by focusing on a minor policy change.

Popularized by the film 'Wag the Dog' (1997) where a fictional war is created to distract from a scandal

Associated with political spin and media manipulation

Reflects the concept of creating a false narrative to mislead the public

Has evolved from a film reference to a widely understood idiom for diversion tactics

Smoke and mirrors

Distraction tactic

Red herring

Sleight of hand

False flag operation

Wagging the dog

Dog wagging

Dog's wag

Dog and wag

Wag dog