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.

Table of Contents:
Introduction. PART I: The Theory of CA and Reputation Management. 1 Character Assassination: Theoretical Framework. 2 Inoculation Theory Against/As Character Assassination. 3 The Traumatic Psychological Impact of Character Attacks on Targets. 4 Character Assassination as a Structurational Phenomenon. 5 Cross-Cultural Comparisons of Character Assassination. PART II: National and International Dynamics. 6 Character Attacks on Dutch Revolutionary Adam Gerard Mappa (1754–1828). 7 Character Assassination in the Soviet Union and Russia. 8 Character Assassination of Activists in Egypt: ElBaradei as a Target. 9 Character Assassination and the Contemporary Anti-Corruption Campaign in the Chinese Military. 10 Character Attacks by Dutch Populist Radical Right Leader Geert Wilders. 11 Ad Hominem Attacks in Greek Politics: The Case of the 2015 Referendum. 12 The Role of Propaganda in the Character Assassination of World Leaders in International Affairs. PART III: Individual and Collective Targets. 13 Agrippina, Theodora and Fredegund as Evil Empresses in the Historiographic Tradition. 14 The Character Assassination of Marie-Antoinette: Defamation in the Age of the French Revolution. 15 Argumentum ad Carricare as a Mode of Character Attack: Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live. 16 Corporate Character Assassination and Crisis Communication. 17 Country Reputation Assassination during the Greek Memorandum Re-Negotiations. PART IV: Strategies of Attack and Defence. 18 The Fight for Public Opinion and Memoria in the Early Roman Principate. 19 The Rhetorical and Ethical Implications of Character Assassination in the Age of McCarthy. 20 Character Assassination and the Nixon White House. 21 Character Assassination and Persuasive Attack on CBS’s Face the Nation. 22 Reductio ad Hitlerum as a New Frame for Political and Geopolitical Conflicts. 23 Show Trials in Communist Countries: Psychology of the Ultimate Cases of Character Assassination. PART V: The Cultures of Emergent Media. 24 Character Assassination in Reformation Propaganda. 25 Late-Night TV Humor and the Culture of Ridicule. 26 Character Assassins and Moral Entrepreneurs: Social Media and the Regulation of Morality. 27 Psychological Traits of Character Assassins: Studies in Cyber-Aggression. 28 Character Assassination as Scapegoating: The Dentist Who Killed Cecil the Lion. 29 Character Assassination by Memes: Mosquitos versus Elephants. Conclusions and Future Research.