Often used in a political or business context.
Refers to the practice of making unfavourable/negative public announcements at times outside the typical media cycle or when
people have a lower level of attention, often late in the
evening or on a weekend.
This can also occur when a much bigger story or event is happening that can provide cover for the bad news.
The intent is to make the announcement public, but draw as little attention to it as possible.
Methods of taking out the trash include obscure media releases or social media posts to accounts with
small numbers of followers.