Character Assassination
The deliberate effort to damage a business leader’s or key employee’s professional reputation through the spread of false, misleading, or exaggerated information, typically to undermine their authority, credibility, or influence within the industry.
Common Techniques
Personal Reputation Attacks
Targeting the personal life or past actions of business leaders or executives, unrelated to their professional role, to create doubt about their integrity or leadership.
False Allegations of Misconduct
Spreading fabricated or exaggerated claims about unethical practices, legal violations, or corruption within a business to damage the individual’s professional credibility.
Distortion of Professional Actions
Manipulating facts to misrepresent decisions, strategies, or behavior within the workplace, creating an unfavorable narrative about the individual’s leadership or business practices.
Anonymous Defamation
Using anonymous sources or fake accounts to spread rumors or false information about business leaders to avoid direct accountability for the smear.
Public Humiliation Campaigns
Leveraging media, industry platforms, or social media to publicly criticize or expose vulnerabilities of individuals within a company, undermining their professional reputation.