By: Jennifer Keohane Character assassination infuses the impeachment inquiry unfolding in Washington, DC, the past few weeks. While there are any number of examples to investigate, I’ll call attention to one figure: Lieutenant Colonel Alexander S. Vindman, a Ukraine expert for the U.S. Army. Lt. Col. Vindman has now testified twice before hearings convened to …
Continue reading Impeachment Hearings, Credibility, and Character Assassination
The so-called Trump Bump is a gift that keeps on giving. Traditional news outlets and their social media competitors for advertising dollars, liberals and conservatives, and even Trump and Putin all benefit from the commodification of public interest in the Trump White House.
By Martijn Icks Social media have made public shaming all too easy. With great frequency, cries of moral indignation resound on the Internet, aimed at persons who have allegedly misbehaved or uttered disgraceful statements. These people suddenly find themselves beleaguered by digital torch-and-pitchfork mobs, ready to slaughter their good name. They are lambasted in furious …
Continue reading Shame on You: Public Humiliation as Punishment
By Jennifer Keohane While the heat and humidity have made those in DC lethargic and prone to staying inside and binging on Netflix, on Twitter, it’s always a perfect 75 degrees with conditions ripe for character assassination. My case today comes from the recent wave of primary elections ahead of November’s midterms. In New York’s …
Continue reading On Authenticity and Character Assassination
By Sergei A. Samoilenko In March 2012, Teju Cole, an American writer, photographer, and art historian, wrote on his Twitter account, “The fastest growth industry in the US is the White Savior Industrial Complex. The white saviour supports brutal policies in the morning, founds charities in the afternoon, and receives awards in the evening.” It …
Continue reading On Western Paternalism, Suffering Others, and White Knight Syndrome
By Martijn Icks Last month, Eric Shiraev and I participated in the 2nd International Conference in Scandalogy at the University of Bamberg, Germany. It was a very engaging event, bringing together researchers from many disciplines who focus on the study of scandal and scandal cultures. Obviously, these terms are closely related to character assassination. After …
By Katya Beisel Yesterday morning, seasoned public relations practitioners, communication educators and university students from across the nation's capitol area gathered at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. for a unique three-panel event focused on a variety of issues and current events within reputation management. Organized in partnership with American University's School of Communication, …
By Jennifer Keohane In this post, I introduce a rhetorical approach to character. This understanding may not square with other academic disciplines that may be interested in other aspects, but I hope this explanation will help explain my approach to studying character assassination. I start from the assumption that character assassination occurs in communication. That …
It seems that at least for now, sexual hypocrisy will be punished, but firearm hypocrisy will not be.
The election of Donald Trump notwithstanding, Americans have long held rather prim views about the private lives and characters of their politicians. Divorce, infidelity, and other “morality scandals” continually prompt hand-wringing apology speeches delivered to the public.
Character Assassination and Reputation Politics Research Lab 