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{{infobox | {{infobox | ||
| nameofpractice =Character assassination | |||
| flagemoji =🌍 | |||
| definition =Deliberate and sustained effort to damage the reputation or credibility of an individual | |||
| location =Global | |||
| imagemap =World map.png | |||
}} | | clusters = | ||
[[:Category:Domination|Domination]] – [[:Category: Motivational ambivalence| Motivational ambivalence]] – [[:Category: Control| Control]] – [[:Category: Informal governance| Informal governance]] | |||
| categories = | |||
[[:Category:Global|Global]] – [[:Category: Reputation| Reputation]] – [[:Category: Public opinion| Public opinion]] – [[:Category: PR| PR]] – [[:Category: Information| Information]] – [[:Category: Elite| Elite]] | |||
| authorofpiece =Sergei Samoilenko, Eric Shiraev and Jennifer Keohane | |||
‘Character assassination’ is a practice in which a deliberate and sustained effort is made to damage the reputation or credibility of an individual. Social groups or institutions can also be the target (Icks & Shiraev 2014<ref>Icks, M., & Shiraev, E.B. 2014. Character assassination throughout the ages. London: Palgrave Macmillan.</ref>). ‘Character assassination’ refers to both the process (e.g., a smear campaign), and to the outcome of this process (e.g., a damaged reputation). It may involve various kinds of defamatory attacks, which are similar to the abusive and circumstantial attacks (''argumentum ad hominem'') used in adversarial contexts to steer attention away from the debated issue to the opponent’s personal traits or reputation (Walton 1998<ref>Walton, D. N. 1998. Ad Hominem Arguments. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press.</ref>). However, unlike ad hominem attacks, ‘character assassination’ does not have to take place in the context of a debate. It consists of a variety of possible attacks in the form of verbal and non-verbal assaults including spoken insults, rumours, campaign ads, pamphlets, cartoons, and tweets. As a result of such campaigns, individuals may be rejected by their professional community, or by members of their social or cultural environment. Damage sustained in the process of ‘character assassination’ can last a lifetime and has been likened to annihilation. | | authorinstitution =George Mason University, USA and University of Baltimore, USA | ||
| authorwebsite =[https://communication.gmu.edu/people/ssamoyle Profile page at GMU], [https://psychology.gmu.edu/people/eshiraev Profile page at GMU], [https://www.ubalt.edu/cas/faculty/alphabetical-directory/jennifer-keohane.cfm Profile page at UB]}} | |||
<big>'''By Sergei Samoilenko and Eric Shiraev, George Mason University, USA and Jennifer Keohane, University of Baltimore, USA'''</big> | |||
[[Category:Domination]] | |||
[[Category: Motivational ambivalence]] | |||
[[Category: Control]] | |||
[[Category: Informal governance]] | |||
[[Category:Global]] | |||
[[Category: Reputation]] | |||
[[Category: Public opinion]] | |||
[[Category: PR]] | |||
[[Category: Information]] | |||
[[Category: Elite]] | |||
[[Category:Entry]] | |||
[[Category: Volume 2]] | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
|- | |||
|style="font-size:1.1em;"| ‘Character assassination’ is a practice in which a deliberate and sustained effort is made to damage the reputation or credibility of an individual. Social groups or institutions can also be the target (Icks & Shiraev 2014<ref>Icks, M., & Shiraev, E.B. 2014. Character assassination throughout the ages. London: Palgrave Macmillan.</ref>). ‘Character assassination’ refers to both the process (e.g., a smear campaign), and to the outcome of this process (e.g., a damaged reputation). It may involve various kinds of defamatory attacks, which are similar to the abusive and circumstantial attacks (''argumentum ad hominem'') used in adversarial contexts to steer attention away from the debated issue to the opponent’s personal traits or reputation (Walton 1998<ref>Walton, D. N. 1998. Ad Hominem Arguments. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press.</ref>). However, unlike ad hominem attacks, ‘character assassination’ does not have to take place in the context of a debate. It consists of a variety of possible attacks in the form of verbal and non-verbal assaults including spoken insults, rumours, campaign ads, pamphlets, cartoons, and tweets. As a result of such campaigns, individuals may be rejected by their professional community, or by members of their social or cultural environment. Damage sustained in the process of ‘character assassination’ can last a lifetime and has been likened to annihilation. | |||
|} | |||
‘Character assassination’ is a cross-cultural phenomenon that reveals itself in a variety of forms and methods in every political and social environment. The issues of ‘character assassination’ have been addressed in psychology, political science, history, and communication studies. As a field of scholarly inquiry, it is often explained by the organising concepts of rationality and intentionality, source credibility, political and societal image, public opinion, social norms, and cultural values. The phenomenon of ‘character assassination’ should be addressed from four different perspectives: the Attacker; the Victim; the Media and the Public. ‘Character assassination’ should be also addressed in relation to studies of public opinion, reputation management and image restoration. | ‘Character assassination’ is a cross-cultural phenomenon that reveals itself in a variety of forms and methods in every political and social environment. The issues of ‘character assassination’ have been addressed in psychology, political science, history, and communication studies. As a field of scholarly inquiry, it is often explained by the organising concepts of rationality and intentionality, source credibility, political and societal image, public opinion, social norms, and cultural values. The phenomenon of ‘character assassination’ should be addressed from four different perspectives: the Attacker; the Victim; the Media and the Public. ‘Character assassination’ should be also addressed in relation to studies of public opinion, reputation management and image restoration. | ||
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The rise of ‘character assassination’ techniques in the 21st century proves to be consistent with many observations, which focus on the negative effects of the media on politics and society, such as simplification, and the negative representation of politics, which favours conflict and personalisation. | The rise of ‘character assassination’ techniques in the 21st century proves to be consistent with many observations, which focus on the negative effects of the media on politics and society, such as simplification, and the negative representation of politics, which favours conflict and personalisation. | ||
==References | ==References== | ||
<References /> | |||
==Further reading== | |||
# Garrett, R.K. 2011. ‘Troubling consequences of online political rumoring’, Human Communication Research, 37(2), 255–274. | # Garrett, R.K. 2011. ‘Troubling consequences of online political rumoring’, Human Communication Research, 37(2), 255–274. | ||
#Oates, S. 2006. Television, Democracy and Elections in Russia. London: Routledge | #Oates, S. 2006. Television, Democracy and Elections in Russia. London: Routledge | ||