A word(?) on giving something a different name on media to make it more acceptable? [duplicate]
Doublespeak seems to fit this example well. From Wikipedia:
Doublespeak is language that deliberately disguises, distorts, or reverses the meaning of words. Doublespeak may take the form of euphemisms (e.g., "downsizing" for layoffs, "servicing the target" for bombing), in which case it is primarily meant to make the truth sound more palatable. It may also refer to intentional ambiguity in language or to actual inversions of meaning (for example, naming a state of war "peace"). In such cases, doublespeak disguises the nature of the truth. Doublespeak is most closely associated with political language.
While it's not limited to creating confusion about immoral acts, the term obfuscation can be used
Render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible: the spelling changes will deform some familiar words and obfuscate their etymological origins
A euphemism is an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that may be found offensive or suggest something unpleasant.
— Wikipedia
Here is an example usage from thinkprogress.org where I’ve highlighted some relevant parts.
The Washington Post described evidence of the use of insects, waterboarding, mock burials, sleep deprivation, and “rectal feeding” described in the so-called “torture report” as “severe tactics.” The Wall Street Journal called the behavior “rough treatment,” and NPR used the official euphemism, “enhanced interrogation.” The New York Times opted to “recalibrate its policy” and use the word “torture” to describe, as its executive editor Dean Baquet put it, “incidents in which we know for sure that interrogators inflicted pain on a prisoner in an effort to get information.” This framework closely mirrors the one put forth by the Convention Against Torture, which defines torture as, “any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession.’’ But many media organizations have not applied this binding definition to the brutalities described in the Senate Intelligence Committee report. Some have argued that by using euphemistic terms instead of calling torture “torture,” the media minimizes its horrifying realities.
"palliating the miserable life of a despondent being" is a 'euphemism' for "killing the dog".
Google says:
euphemism: a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.
I'd say the best description for this is a relatively new usage of the word "spin" when used to mean presenting the facts in a light most favorable to a preferred viewpoint.
It is commonly used in politics but seems quite appropriate here.
See Wiktionary where noun definition 3 is:
A favourable comment or interpretation intended to bias opinion on an otherwise unpleasant situation.