Metaphorical 'Trash' (rhetorical device for discarding news items)

Not a physical receptacle but a rhetorical container invoked by staff to describe the act of burying or discarding a news item. The 'trash' bears no material form—no metal rim, scuff, or interior—yet it registers as an operative policy image when characters propose sending an issue "out with the trash." Staffers gesture toward it verbally, using the phrase to codify an administrative decision to suppress or sideline information.

4 appearances

Purpose

To serve as a figurative means for staff to communicate and authorize the disposal, suppression, or sidelining of a story or issue during crisis management and damage-control discussions.

Significance

Functions as a concise emblem of ethical compromise and institutional self-protection: invoking the 'trash' signals a choice to prioritize political survival over disclosure. The metaphor marks turning points in trust and editorial judgment and frames later leak- and suppression-related conflicts among C.J., Toby, Danny, and others.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

4 moments

S1E13 · Take Out The Trash Day

The Leak Question — C.J. Draws a Line

Invoked rhetorically by Toby as the metaphorical place to 'dump' the Zoey-class story — the trash references administrative suppression and prioritization, signaling a decision to bury an item rather than elevate it publicly.

Before: An abstract rhetorical concept in staff vocabulary; unused in physical terms.

After: Conceptually assigned to the Zoey-class issue as C.J. agrees it can be 'dumped' there; the metaphorical trash is employed as a triage instrument.

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S1E13 · Take Out The Trash Day

Toby's Gentle Probe — Zoey and the Leak

The 'trash' is a rhetorical object invoked by Toby ('You can dump that out with the trash') to describe discarding or burying the Zoey story. As a metaphor it functions as a proposed strategy for reputational triage — an administrative decision to sideline a story rather than litigate it publicly.

Before: A conceptual rhetorical option available but unused; not materially present.

After: Proposed as the intended handling for the Zoey story; becomes part of the plan if staff follow through.

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S1E13 · Take Out The Trash Day

Banana Banter and the Drawer: Bartlet Shelves the Sex‑Ed Report

The 'Metaphorical Trash' is invoked when Bartlet instructs staff to 'throw it out with the trash.' It operates as a rhetorical object: a verbal container for discarding the story publicly while retaining it privately, signaling an administrative choice to minimize attention rather than fully transparent disclosure.

Before: Not applied; the report is under consideration and the metaphor is not yet used.

After: Activated as the chosen rhetorical tactic — the administration will downplay and rhetorically discard the report for the time being.

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S1E13 · Take Out The Trash Day

Shelving the Sex‑Ed Report to Save Leo

The 'Metaphorical Trash' is invoked rhetorically when Bartlet instructs staff how to speak to the press — "Throw it out with the trash" — turning a moral suppression into a communication tactic and verbal ritual of disposal, normalizing the act of burying the report.

Before: An available rhetorical device used by senior staff to describe discarding stories; conceptually present.

After: Activated as the chosen frame for public messaging: the administration will downplay the report and rhetorically consign it to the trash in media interactions.

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