Character Assassination

Using a variety of cases from history and today's life, the book examines character attackers targeting the private lives, behavior, values, and identity of their victims. Numerous historical examples show that character assassination has always been a very effective weapon to win political battles or settle personal scores.

In modern politics as well as in historical times, character attacks abound. Words and images, like symbolic and psychological weapons, have sullied or destroyed numerous reputations. People mobilize significant material and psychological resources to defend themselves against such attacks. How does character assassination "work," and when does it not? Why do many targets fall so easily when they are under character attack? How can one prevent attacks and defend against them? The Routledge Handbook of Character Assassination and Reputation Management offers the first comprehensive examination of character assassination. Moving beyond studying corporate reputation management and how public figures enact and maintain their reputation, this lively volume offers a framework and cases 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 theoretical introduction and extensive description of the "five pillars" of character assassination: (1) the attacker, (2) the target, (3) the media, (4) the public, and (5) the context. The remaining chapters present engaging case studies suitable for class discussion. These include: Roman emperors; Reformation propaganda; the Founding Fathers; defamation in US politics; women politicians; autocratic regimes; European leaders; celebrities; nations; Internet campaigns. This handbook will prove invaluable to undergraduate and postgraduate students in communication, political science, history, sociology, and psychology departments. It will also help researchers become independent, critical, and informed thinkers capable of avoiding the pressure and manipulations of the media.

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.

In 1621 Bacon fell from power as Lord Chancellor, the highest position in the land. Charged with accepting bribes, he was convicted, fined, imprisoned and exiled from the Court. He died five years later, disgraced and deeply in debt.

In the contemporary world that is ever more complex and interdependent, international relations take place within the permanent confrontation of states; we are witnessing the more frequent use of character assassination as a common tactic of international politics. After examining how character assassination has been used in the historic context, and continues to be used in daily life (especially in politics), this book delves into how international actors have used diverse tools to defame political leaders in different countries. Of the many current examples are the numerous attacks on US President Donald Trump, those against Russian President Vladimir Putin, and other political leaders in France, Great Britain, etc. As today's news shows that the increasingly popular and effective mechanism for defamation is via electronic media resources, such as Twitter, Facebook, etc. through which hearty attacks on individuals are commonly conducted transnationally. It is worth noting that though the instruments of character assassination may differ as time passes, some tropes have existed for many generations. Today there is an entire industry built around finding humor in attacks, or the multitude of video materials that have the purpose of attacking and destroying the reputation of political leaders in the international arena. Importantly, this book thoroughly reviews common character assassination tactics and strategies which can be applied in a variety of contexts outside of international politics. By understanding the genesis of character attacks, and how the target of an attack should best react in defending themselves, the reader will be able to apply these lessons to a wide variety of settings outside of politics, expanding to the realms of business, academia, or in day-to-day life. This is the first in-depth research book ever written on character assassination with a focused study of cases in international politics.

Learn how to overcome the devastating reality of bullying and re-build your life. Character Assassination is the harrowing story of Kieran’s traumatic experience of bullying at an all-boys high school. Facing hundreds of physical, emotional, and cyber attacks every day, his life was ripped apart as the bullies attacked his self-worth through a horrifying and targeted assassination of his character. With no help from his school, the experience came very close to completely ruining his life. From severe depression to a fulfilling life as a youth motivational speaker, his story is a very real and vulnerable insight into the bullying occurring in our schools. Character Assassination gives hope to anyone wishing to overcome the devastation that is caused by merciless bullies in all areas of life. With a wide range of strategies for victims and anyone wanting to make a difference to those being bullied, Character Assassination is a practical hope-giver that teaches you how to overcome the trauma of bullying, and build a life of inspiration for yourself and those around you.

The guide that will help you destroy a person's life with a clean conscious. Use their suffering to further your own agenda. Simply an indispensable book if you have these kinds of thoughts or worse if you've been a victim. This book isn't what I would call 'a good book.' It adopts the point of view of learning how to conduct character assassination to assit the reader in knowing the mind of the contestants. Such investigation isn't nessesarily pleasant. It can be revealing, educational but for some people it represents down right evil. I am comforted by the fact that I did not invent character assassination. It's common enough in our society and there are enough victims that I thought I should write about it and offer an honest appraisal. Lets face it, even the most pious people inadvertently conduct character assassination to protect themselves and assert their own view of life...what might mystify us about another person can be made to make a lot of sense.