What is "dog-whistle politics"

n. communication political ideas such that only a small group of voters understands them as they are meant to be understood, usually involving contentious subject matter

Dog-whistle politics is political messaging employing coded language that appears to mean one thing to the general population but has an additional, different or more specific resonance for a targeted subgroup. The phrase is often used as a pejorative because of the inherently deceptive nature of the practice and because the dog-whistle messages are frequently distasteful to the general populace. The analogy is to a dog whistle, whose high-frequency whistle is heard by dogs but inaudible to humans.

The term can be distinguished from " code words" used in some specialist professions, in that dog-whistling is specific to the political realm. The messaging referred to as the dog-whistle has an understandable meaning for a general audience, rather than being incomprehensible.

"Dog-Whistle Politics" is the fourth episode of the fifth season, and the 73rd overall of the American political thriller television series Scandal. It aired on October 15, 2015 on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The episode was written by Mark Fish and directed by Zetna Fuentes.