Smear Campaign - Wikipedia

Effort to damage someone's reputation For the Napalm Death album, see Smear Campaign (album). For the cover of "Elected" under the name "Mr Bean & Smear Campaign", see Elected (song) § Covers.

A smear campaign, also referred to as a smear tactic or simply a smear, is an effort to damage or call into question someone's reputation, by propounding negative propaganda.[1] It makes use of discrediting tactics. It can be applied to individuals or groups. Common targets are public officials, politicians, heads of state, political candidates, activists, celebrities (especially those who are involved in politics), and ex-spouses. The term also applies in other contexts, such as the workplace.[2] The term smear campaign became popular around the year 1936.[3]

Definition

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A smear campaign is an intentional, premeditated effort to undermine an individual's or group's reputation, credibility, and character.[4] Like negative campaigning, most often smear campaigns target government officials, politicians, political candidates, and other public figures.[5] However, public relations campaigns might also employ smear tactics in the course of managing an individual or institutional brand to target competitors and potential threats.[6]

Smear campaigns can also be used as a campaign tactic associated with tabloid journalism, which is a type of journalism that presents little well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines, scandal-mongering and sensationalism. For example, during Gary Hart's 1988 presidential campaign (see below), the New York Post reported on its front page big, black block letters: "GARY: I'M NO WOMANIZER."[7][8]

Deflection has been described as a wrap-up smear: "You make up something. Then you have the press write about it. And then you say, everybody is writing about this charge".[9]

Examples

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Smear tactics are commonly used to undermine effective arguments or critiques.

John C. Frémont – 1856 US presidential election candidate

[edit] Main article: John C. Frémont § Republican Party presidential candidate (1856)

During the 1856 presidential election, John C. Frémont was the target of a smear campaign alleging that he was a Catholic, among other accusations. The campaign was designed to undermine support for Fremont from those who were suspicious of Catholics.[10]

General Motors against Ralph Nader

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Ralph Nader was the victim of a smear campaign during the 1960s, when he was campaigning for car safety. In order to smear Nader and deflect public attention from his campaign, General Motors engaged private investigators to search for damaging or embarrassing incidents from his past. In early March 1966, several media outlets, including The New Republic and The New York Times, reported that GM had tried to discredit Nader, hiring private detectives to tap his phones and investigate his past and hiring prostitutes to trap him in compromising situations.[11][12] Nader sued the company for invasion of privacy and settled the case for $284,000. Nader's lawsuit against GM was ultimately decided by the New York Court of Appeals, whose opinion in the case expanded tort law to cover "overzealous surveillance."[13] Nader used the proceeds from the lawsuit to start the pro-consumer Center for Study of Responsive Law.

Gary Hart – 1988 US presidential candidate

[edit] Main article: Gary Hart § 1988 presidential campaign

Gary Hart was the target of a smear campaign during the 1988 US presidential campaign. The New York Post once reported on its front page big, black block letters: "GARY: I'M NO WOMANIZER."[7][8]

China against Apple Inc.

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In 2011, China launched a smear campaign against Apple, including TV and radio advertisements and articles in state-run papers. The campaign failed to turn the Chinese public against the company and its products.[14]

Chris Bryant

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Chris Bryant, a British parliamentarian, accused Russia in 2012 of orchestrating a smear campaign against him because of his criticism of Vladimir Putin.[15] In 2017 he alleged that other British officials are vulnerable to Russian smear campaigns.[16][17]

Blake Lively

[edit] Main article: It Ends with Us controversy

In 2024, The New York Times reported on an alleged smear campaign conducted against actress Blake Lively after she accused Justin Baldoni of misconduct.[18] The alleged smear campaign allegedly pushed negative stories about Lively and used social media to boost those stories. In January 2025, Baldoni filed a suit in the federal District Court for the Southern District of New York against Blake, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and publicist, for $400 million in damages alleging civil extortion, defamation, and a slew of contract-related claims.[19]

Overstock critics

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In January 2007, it was revealed that an anonymous website that attacked critics of Overstock.com, including media figures and private citizens on message boards, was operated by an official of Overstock.com.[20][21]

UAE smear campaigns

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In 2023, The New Yorker reported that Mohamed bin Zayed was paying millions of euros to a Swiss firm, Alp Services for orchestrating a smear campaign to defame the Emirati targets, including Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood. Under the ‘dark PR’, Alp posted false and defamatory Wikipedia entries against them. The Emirates also paid the Swiss firm to publish propaganda articles against the targets. Multiple meetings took place between the Alp Services head Mario Brero and an Emirati official, Matar Humaid al-Neyadi. However, Alp’s bills were sent directly to MbZ. The defamation campaign also targeted an American, Hazim Nada, and his firm, Lord Energy, because his father Youssef Nada had joined the Muslim Brotherhood as a teenager.[22]

See also

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• Attack ad
• Cancel culture
• Character assassination
• Disinformation and misinformation
• Doxing
• Kompromat
• Mudslinging
• Noisy investigation
• Manipulation (psychology)
• Red herring
• Red-baiting
• Shame campaign
• Social undermining
• Swift boating
• Tu quoque
• Whispering campaign

References

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1. ^ "SMEAR CAMPAIGN | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary". dictionary.cambridge.org. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
2. ^ Jay C. Thomas, Michel Hersen (2002) Handbook of Mental Health in the Workplace
3. ^ "Google Ngram Viewer". books.google.com.
4. ^ Roddy, B. L. and G. M. Garramone . ( 1988 ). Appeals and strategies of negative political advertising, Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 32, 415 – 427 .
5. ^ Vaccari, Cristian; Morini, Marco (28 Feb 2018). "The Power of Smears in Two American Presidential Campaigns". Journal of Political Marketing. 13 (1–2): 19–45. doi:10.1080/15377857.2014.866021. ISSN 1537-7857.
6. ^ Dezenhall, Eric (2003). Nail 'em: confronting high-profile attacks on celebrities & businesses. Amherst, N.Y: Prometheus Books. ISBN 978-1-59102-047-9.
7. ^ a b William Safire. (May 3, 1987). "On Language; Vamping Till Ready". The New York Times.
8. ^ a b Matt Bai. All The Truth Is Out: The Week That Politics Went Tabloid. Knopf (September 30, 2014) ISBN 978-0307273383
9. ^ Pelosi, Nancy (2017-03-05). State of the Union (Television production). CNN.
10. ^ Nevins, Allan (1931). Allen Johnson; Dumas Malone (eds.). Dictionary of American Biography Frémont, John Charles. Vol. 7. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 22.
11. ^ Longhine, Laura (December 2005). "Ralph Nader's museum of tort law will include relics from famous lawsuits—if it ever gets built". Legal Affairs.
12. ^ "President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Federal Role in Highway Safety: Epilogue — The Changing Federal Role". Federal Highway Administration. 2005-05-07.
13. ^ Nader v. General Motors Corp., 307 N.Y.S.2d 647 (N.Y. 1970)
14. ^ Greenfield, Rebecca (27 March 2013). "China's Apple Smear Campaign Has Totally Backfired". theatlanticwire.com. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
15. ^ "I'm a victim of Russian smear campaign, says MP photographed in underwear". Telegraph.co.uk. 23 November 2012. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
16. ^ Knowles, Michael (15 January 2017). "Russian spies turn attention to British politicians in 'project smear', warns Labour MP". Express.co.uk.
17. ^ Townsend, Mark; Smith, David (14 January 2017). "Senior British politicians 'targeted by Kremlin' for smear campaigns". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
18. ^ Twohey, Megan; McIntire, Mike; Tate, Julie (2024-12-21). "Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni and a Smear Campaign After 'It Ends With Us'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2025-03-09.
19. ^ Sarmiento, Isabella Gomez (2025-01-17). "Justin Baldoni has sued Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds for $400 million". NPR. Retrieved 2025-03-09.
20. ^ Antilla, Susan (February 21, 2007). "Overstock Blames With Creepy Strategy". Bloomberg News Service.
21. ^ Mitchell, Dan (January 20, 2007). "Flames Flare Over Naked Shorts," The New York Times.
22. ^ Kirkpatrick, David D. (27 March 2023). "The Dirty Secrets of a Smear Campaign". The New Yorker. Vol. 99, no. 7. Retrieved 27 March 2023.

v t e Disinformation and misinformation
Core content Disinformation Misinformation Propaganda Disinformation attack Disinformation research Publications about disinformation
Mechanisms Psychological Cognitive bias List Denialism Manipulation Misinformation effect Political polarization Psychology of climate change denial Computational Algorithmic radicalization Content moderation Community notes Internet manipulation Social bot Social networking service List User-generated content Economic Fake news websites Surveillance capitalism Programmatic advertising Media and Politics Audience fragmentation Echo chamber (media) Fake news Media bias Media culture Media manipulation
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Related terms Alternative facts Factoid Hoax Infodemic Malinformation Post-truth politics Potemkin village Pseudoscience Tabloid journalism Truthiness
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v t e Abuse
Types	Adverse childhood experiences Anti-social behaviour Bullying Child abuse neglect sexual military marriage Cruelty to animals Disability abuse military draft Domestic abuse Elder abuse Financial Marriage Gaslighting Harassment Humiliation Incivility Institutional abuse Intimidation Neglect Persecution Professional abuse Psychological abuse Physical abuse Police brutality Religious abuse Social abuse Sexual abuse Stalking Structural abuse Substance abuse Alcohol abuse Surveillance abuse Referee and umpire abuse Verbal abuse more...
Related topics	Abusive supervision Abuse of power Controlling behavior Complex post-traumatic stress disorder Dehumanization Denial Destabilisation Discrimination Exaggeration Just-world fallacy Lying Manipulation Minimisation Narcissism Playing the victim Psychological projection Psychological trauma Psychopathy Rationalization Sexual grooming Traumatic bonding Victim blaming Victimisation Victimology

v t e Bullying
Types	Abusive supervision Cyberbullying Disability bullying Displaced aggression Doxing LGBTQ bullying Hazing Military bullying Mobbing Parental bullying of children Peer victimization Prison bullying Rank Relational aggression School bullying Higher education Sexual bullying Workplace harassment Workplace bullying Academia Information technology Legal aspects Legal profession Medicine Nursing Teaching Toxic leader Toxic workplace
Elements	Betrayal Blacklisting Bullying and emotional intelligence Cancel culture Character assassination Coercion Culture of fear Defamation Destabilisation Discrediting Embarrassment False accusation Gaslighting Gossip Harassment Humiliation Incivility Intimidation Kiss up kick down Mind games Moving the goalposts Nagging Name calling Personal attacks Physical abuse Psychological abuse Rudeness Sarcasm Screaming Shame Smear campaign Social exclusion Social undermining Swatting Taunting Workplace incivility Verbal abuse
Organizations	Act Against Bullying Ban Bossy Bullying UK Bystander Revolution Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity Ditch the Label GRIN Campaign It Gets Better Project Kidscape Society Against Violence in Education
Experts	Academics Anna Costanza Baldry Wendy Craig Dorothy Espelage David P. Farrington Shelley Hymel Heinz Leymann Gary Namie James O'Higgins Norman Dan Olweus Debra Pepler Christina Salmivalli Kenneth Westhues Activists Andrea Adams Louise Burfitt-Dons Tim Field SuEllen Fried Liam Hackett Lizzie Velásquez
Actions	Anti-Bullying Day Anti-Bullying Week Anti-bullying legislation International Day of Pink International Stand Up to Bullying Day Think Before You Speak School shooting
Notable suicides(List)	William Arthur Gibbs (1877) Kelly Yeomans (1997) Hamed Nastoh (2000) Dawn-Marie Wesley (2000) Nicola Ann Raphael (2001) Ryan Halligan (2003) Megan Meier (2006) Sladjana Vidovic (2008) Phoebe Prince (2010) Tyler Clementi (2010) Jamey Rodemeyer (2011) Jamie Hubley (2011) Kenneth Weishuhn (2012) Audrie Pott (2012) Amanda Todd (2012) Jadin Bell (2013) Rehtaeh Parsons (2013) Rebecca Sedwick (2013) Leelah Alcorn (2014) Conrad Roy (2014) Tyrone Unsworth (2016) Lia Smith (2025)
Murder–suicides(incidents)	Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold Columbine, 1999 Jeff Weise Red Lake, 2005 Seung-Hui Cho Virginia Tech, 2007 Pekka-Eric Auvinen Jokela High School, 2007 Matti Juhani Saari Kauhajoki School of Hospitality, 2008 Jose Horacio Reyes Sparks Middle School, 2013 Elliot Rodger Isla Vista, 2014
Related topics	Emotional blackmail Just-world fallacy List of LGBT-related suicides Machiavellianism in the workplace Narcissism in the workplace Personal boundaries Personality disorders Playing the victim Psychopathy in the workplace Scapegoating Self-esteem Social dominance orientation Suicide among LGBTQ people Victim blaming Victimisation Victimology

v t e Media manipulation
Context	Bias Crowd psychology Deception Dumbing down False balance Half-truths Media Obfuscation Persuasion Manipulation (psychology)
Activism	Advocacy group Alternative media Boycott Call-out culture Cancel culture Civil disobedience Culture jamming Demonstrations Deplatforming Grassroots Guerrilla communication Hacktivism Internet Media Occupations Petitions Protests Youth
Advertising	Advertorial/Native advertising Billboards False Infomercials Mobiles Modeling Radio Sex Slogans Testimonials TV Criticism of advertising Annoyance factor
Censorship and mass media regulation	Books Broadcast law Burying of scholars Catch and kill Corporate Cover-ups Euphemism Films Historical negationism Internet Political Religious Self
Hoaxing	Alternative facts April Fools' Deepfake audio Fake news websites Fakelore Fictitious entries Firehose of falsehood Forgery Gaslighting List Literary Lying press Photograph manipulation Racial Urban legend Virus Video manipulation
Marketing	Branding Loyalty Product Product placement Publicity Research Word of mouth
News media	Agenda-setting Broadcasting Circus Cycle Emotive conjugation False balance Infotainment Managing Narcotizing dysfunction Newspeak Pseudo-event Scrum Sensationalism Tabloid journalism
Political campaigning	Advertising Astroturfing Attack ad Canvassing Character assassination Dog whistle Election promises Lawn signs Party platforms (or manifestos) Name recognition Negative Push polling Smear campaign Wedge issue
Propaganda	Bandwagon Big lie Crowd manipulation Disinformation Fearmongering Framing Indoctrination Loaded language National mythology Protest paradigm Rally 'round the flag effect Techniques
Psychological warfare	Airborne leaflets False flag Fifth column Information (IT) Lawfare Political Public diplomacy Sedition Subversion
Public relations	Cult of personality Doublespeak Non-apology apology Reputation management Slogans Sound bites Spin Transfer Understatement Weasel words Corporate propaganda
Sales	Cold calling Door-to-door Pricing Product demonstrations Promotion Spaving Promotional merchandise Telemarketing
Related	Influence-for-hire Media bias United States Media concentration Media democracy Media ecology Media ethics Media franchise Media influence Media proprietor

v t e Manipulation (psychology)
Positive manipulation	Big lie Brainwashing Bribery Disinformation Flattery Love bombing Predatory marriage Propaganda Seduction Sexual grooming
Negative manipulation	Bullying Character assassination Coercion Intimidation Mind games Mobbing Smear campaign Social rejection
Other manipulation	Entrapment Gaslighting Good cop, bad cop Indoctrination Influence-for-hire Interrogation Spin (propaganda)
Related manipulation topics	Boosting Crowd manipulation Confidence trick Internet manipulation Market manipulation Media manipulation Nudge theory Shill Undue influence Emotional blackmail Guilt trip Passive-aggressive behavior