The Smear Campaign — How The Media Destroys Reputations
The 6 techniques the media uses to destroy reputations
You’ve witnessed countless smear campaigns throughout your life, but you didn’t notice.
You’ve had your opinion about particular individuals shaped for you without your consent on multiple occasions. Think of a politician or celebrity that you dislike. Did you form that negative opinion of them by yourselves, or have you been manipulated?
What do you think about Julian Assange? What do you think about Jordan Peterson? What do you think about Russell Brand? Or perhaps there’s a politician or public figure in your own country that you dislike. Why do you dislike them?
If you believe that you’ve personally formed all of your opinions about all the public figures you know, then you’re severely underestimating the power of the media, and the power of the smear campaign.
If you want to have an understanding of what’s happening when you consume media, you need to understand the smear campaign. Without understanding what the smear campaign is and how it works, you’ll be manipulated just like the rest of the public.
Haven’t you ever wondered why the media is constantly attacking particular people? Haven’t you ever wondered why there are so many claims about anti-semitism, racism and sexism about people in newspapers? Haven’t you ever wondered why every single month there’s a new buzzword or narrative in the media about politicians?
The following is a comprehensive guide on how a smear campaign works, which I have split into 6 sections:
- Labelling
- Find a weak spot and attack it relentlessly
- Remove Context
- Guilty by association
- Use the right images
- Don’t make it obvious.
The goal of a smear campaign is character assassination. They’re a highly effective weapon powerful people utilise through the media to attack individuals they don’t like. The media can be used as a weapon just like a machine gun or a missile.
The public are absolute suckers for smear campaigns. It’s my hope that after reading this…