Character Assassination and Reputation Management

Theory and Applications

Jennifer Keohane author Martijn Icks author Eric B Shiraev author Sergei A Samoilenko author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd

Published:17th Aug '21

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

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Character Assassination and Reputation Management cover

This lively book offers the first comprehensive examination of character assassination. In modern politics as well as in historical times, character attacks abound. Words and images, like psychological weapons, have sullied or destroyed numerous individual reputations. How does character assassination "work" and when or why does it not? Are character attacks getting worse in the age of social media? Why do many people fail when they are under character attack? How should they prevent attacks and defend against them?

Moving beyond discussions about corporate reputation management and public relations canons, Character Assassination and Reputation Management is designed to help understand, critically analyze, and effectively defend against such attacks. Written by an international and interdisciplinary team of experts, the book begins with a discussion of theoretical and applied features of the "five pillars" of character assassination: (1) the attacker, (2) the target, (3) the media, (4) the audience, and (5) the context. The remaining chapters present engaging in-depth discussions and case studies suitable for homework and class discussion. These cases include:

  • Historic figures
  • Leaders from modern times
  • Women in politics
  • U.S. presidents
  • World leaders
  • Political autocrats
  • Democratic leaders
  • Scientists
  • Celebrities

Featuring an extensive glossary of key terms, critical thinking exercises, and summaries to encourage problem-based learning, Character Assassination and Reputation Management will prove invaluable to the undergraduate and postgraduate students in communication, political science, global affairs, history, sociology, and psychology departments.

"Character Assassination and Reputation Management is scholarly in its approach, impressive in its scope, current in its applications, and engaging in its readability. The best and most timely book on this topic in the field!"

David A. Levy, Ph.D., Professor, Pepperdine University

"This is an essential handbook for understanding why character assassination happens. Hopefully it will be part of the foundation that explores the realistic exercises that can – and cannot – be undertaken to mitigate against such a destructive phenomenon."

Eric Dezenhall, Crisis Management Consultant, CEO Dezenhall Resources - Public Affairs

"This book represents a very important contribution to political and media literacy, an extremely topical and vital subject of today."

Martina Klicperová, Ph.D., Czech Academy of Sciences

"This first textbook on a very critical and timely subject is a must-read for students and teachers, theorists and practitioners, and anyone who wants to learn how to be the master of their judgments about people in the world of politics and business. Excitingly written, this book makes us observers of complex strategic operations, where the main weapon against the chosen target is the word. The narrative woven out of many examples from history and modern events allows us to see the methods and tools used by reputation killers and to get acquainted with methods of protection that can be useful to any of us, but especially to current and future politicians, business leaders, and heads of state."

Ekaterina Egorova, Ph.D., President of Political Profiler (USA), and President of the Niccolo M Strategic Communications

"Today, when the world struggles with the ongoing Global Knowledge Warfare, where characters become frequent targets in information operations, the book touches new and critical patterns of contemporary international relations and security studies."

Holger Mölder, Ph.D., Tallinn University of Technology

"Too often, new areas of research in communication are too niche and have little relevance to real life. Character Assassination and Reputation Management: Theory and Application avoids those limitations by providing fascinating insights about character assassination. The book fully develops the idea of character assassination and how it has application far beyond politics to other aspects of life. I appreciate the richness of the approach that integrates ideas from a number of fields to illuminate character assassination. There is a strong element of strategic communication that helps to ground the book in application. The section on reputation is an excellent examine of the book’s comprehensive approach. The readers will find a well-reasoned discussion of what reputation management is and its intersection with character assassination. The reader will develops a clear understanding of character assassination and how it can affect their lives from this book."

W. Timothy Coombs, Professor, Texas A&M

"The editors have enabled (the matter of) character assassination to develop from a research theme to a full-fledged interdisciplinary field of study, which is of significance concerning the political topicality of the upcoming populism. Character assassination is responsible for the decline of our democratic manners. This book offers the groundwork for a firm positioning of CA-studies within academic education. Students will be made aware of the phenomenon by inserting them into the foundational mechanisms of character assassination: proofing the practical relevance of character assassination research."

Edwina Hagen, Assistant Professor, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

ISBN: 9781138609181

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 1120g

280 pages