CARP IDEAS BLOG
Insights, Analysis, and Research on Character Assassination and Reputation Protection
Welcome to the CARP Research Blog, a place for curious minds, sharp ideas, and timely reflections, not dense academic articles. This is where our international team digs into the fascinating mechanics of character assassination across history, reputation battles in politics, and the ways political communication shapes public life.
You will find short essays, real-world cases, and expert commentary exploring how character attacks are launched, how reputations are defended, and why reputation matters so deeply in politics, society, and culture. To ensure quality and consistency, we peer-review most our entries so the ideas remain accessible while meeting high academic standards.
Recent Posts
Character Assassination in a Major Key: Ozzy’s Reputational Victory
Character Assassination in a Major Key: Ozzy’s Reputational Victory It took just one off-key scream—an awkward, guttural “YAAAAAH!”—for Howard Dean […]
The Reputational Ghost of Socialism:
The Reputational Ghost of Socialism: Why Socialism Still Shines in Professors’ Books More Than It Ever Did in Life A […]
Rasputin: The Perfect Character Scapegoat
Rasputin: The Perfect Character Scapegoat Eric Shiraev Fun linguistic twist: in Russian, “Rasputin” can be heard as “raspútny”—meaning “dissolute.” Few […]
Solidarity Never? The Struggle of the Australian Labor Party and the Victorian CFMEU
Trouble is brewing on the sun-kissed shores of Victoria, one of Australia’s southernmost states. A recent report by Nine explores the complex relationship between the Australian Labor Party and the Victorian CFMEU…
Paninirang puri and paninirang dangal: Contextualizing character assassination in the Philippines
In the Philippines, where the political party system is notably weak or even negligible, the character and reputation of political figures play a crucial role in electoral dynamics…
Macron’s Stance on Ukraine Sparks Controversy and Personal Attacks
Reputational attacks on politicians often encompass a range of tactics aimed at diminishing their public standing, credibility, or likability. Family members and personal relationships become targets…
Featured Content
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We are doing a major update of our YouTube channel so you’ll now be able to find recordings of webinars we held in 2023. Subscribe to stay updated with our latest research presentations and discussions…
Clodius the Cross-Dresser
In December 62 BCE, Rome was gripped by a bizarre scandal. Publius Clodius Pulcher, a young man from a noble family, had infiltrated a women’s religious festival in disguise…
CARP Debates: Depp v. Heard
Was Johnny Depp’s recent legal victory over ex-wife Amber Heard a victory in the court of public opinion? CARP Facebook group members Nancy Snow and Eric Shiraev engage in debate…
Academic Research & Analysis
Reputation and Character Assassination in Academia: A Jessica Krug Story
The reputation of a professor is how the students perceive the image of the professor based on their decisions, actions, and behavior. This case study examines academic reputation management…
Character Assassination: The Historical Perspective [Part 1]
“History is bunk,” American business man Henry Ford famously said. It’s a beloved quote, especially among historians, who like nothing better than to prove Henry Ford wrong…
The Tetris Model of Character Assassination
Character assassination comes in many shapes and forms. Character attacks vary in their complexity across time and cultures at interpersonal, organizational, and state levels…
International Perspectives
How Navalny Torpedoes Russian Officials
“Hi, it’s Navalny.” This is how Russia’s most popular oppositionist starts his YouTube investigative videos. These videos have become a powerful tool for political accountability…
Traitors to Turkey
Ethnic minorities are particularly vulnerable to character attacks. Last March, Dutch parliament passed a motion urging the political party DENK to distance itself from Turkish politics…
Fiction to Reality in Ukraine’s Election Standoff
Remember the slogan “Underwood 2016” when we wondered if Frank from House of Cards could get things done in Washington? Ukrainians faced their own version of fiction becoming reality…
CARP Webinar Series
Explore our comprehensive collection of webinars featuring leading experts in character assassination research, political communication, and reputation management.
Presidential Character from Clinton and Cable to Trump and Twitter
A conversation about how presidential character assessment has evolved from traditional media to the social media age, examining changes in public perception and media coverage…
Fallen Idols: Toppling Statues throughout the Ages
Across the world, statues of historical figures have recently become the focus of fierce discussion. However, this is hardly a new phenomenon. From Egyptian pharaohs to Confederate generals…
Evil Queens and Wicked Empresses
A discussion of Dr. Icks’s chapter in the Routledge Handbook of Character Assassination, exploring how powerful women throughout history have been targeted by character attacks…
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