CARP Conferences

Character Assassination, Illiberalism, and the Erosion of Civic Rights

Dates: 21-23 June 2023

Location: University of Amsterdam & VU University

Hosts: Faculty of Humanities and the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), University of Amsterdam; Faculty of Humanities, VU University

CARP IV International Conference took place at the University of Amsterdam and VU University from June 21 to 23 in 2023. Keynote speakers included Marlène Laruelle, Marisa Linton, Simon Burrows and some guests of honor such as Pavel Palazhchenko. It attracted international scholars with a focus on issues regarding liberalism and the emerging concept of illiberalism in regard to character assassination with various cultural angles.

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Description

Liberal democracies face multiple external challenges from autocracies across the world, as well as internal challenges from populist politicians, nativism, and the normalization of incivility in media and political discourses. Character assassination (CA) often accompanies these political and social conflicts, especially when unresolved ideological and moral issues are involved. Social conflicts become aggravated when moral issues intermix with political and economic factors. Factions then resort to persuasive attacks on character to delegitimize and disempower their opponents. This increased polarization and aggressiveness of elite rhetoric likely foster voters’ cynicism and discontent with politics as usual. The increasing gap between liberal elites and the disgruntled electorate, in turn, likely provides even more fertile ground for social conflict, and paves the way for illiberal conceptions of the democratic order.

Keynote Address: Marlène Laruelle

Roundtable: Scandals, Character Assassination, and Illiberalism

Special Roundtable: Illiberal Politics and Uncivil Language as a Global Trend

Cancel Culture and Character Assassination

Dates: September 24-26, 2021

CARP III International Conference took place September 21-23, 2021. It attracted scholars from 13 countries and focused on  contemporary issues associated with cancel culture from a variety of disciplinary and cultural angles.

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Description

While character assassination has taken a variety of forms throughout history, a particularly current and controversial practice of social ostracism has bred “cancel culture.” Cancel culture refers to when a person, typically a public figure, is expelled from their social or professional circles as a result of offensive behavior, real or alleged. The expression is mostly used by those who feel they are being unfairly punished for minor transgressions. As a form of public shaming, those who are “canceled” may be scapegoated or stigmatized and exposed to the judgment and bullying of the public. Canceled individuals may, in perception or reality, find themselves silenced and unable to speak on their own behalf. While cancel culture is often linked to the rise of social media, practices of silencing and social exclusion have many historical antecedents, ranging from public scapegoating rituals to rebellious mobs tearing down the statues of disgraced individuals. 

Keynote Address: Emily A. Vogels, Pew Research Center

Impact of Cancel Culture on Public Opinion

Cancel Culture, Online Platforms, and Strategic Deception

Character Assassination and Populism: Challenges and Responses

CARP II International Conference took place on March 15-17, 2019.

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Description

One primary characteristic of today’s global society is the growing public distrust in many traditional authorities. In the context of institutional legitimacy crisis, there is a great demand for new voices to trust. These changes provide opportunities for populists and charismatic opinion leaders of all kinds to promote their agendas and influence public opinion. Populist politicians often become primary newsmakers for clickbait content in the media that proliferates personal opinions, falsehoods, and unwarranted ad hominem attacks. Belligerent rhetoric also normalizes the culture of incivility which has negative consequences for civil debate in a well-functioning democracy.

Keynote Address: Shawn Turner, CNN National Security Communication Analyst

Political Character, Populism, and the Future of Media

Strategic Communication Campaigns in the Age of Social Media

Character Assassination in Theory and Practice

CARP I International Conference took place on March 3-5, 2017. The conference was organized and hosted by George Mason University’s Department of Communication and the department’s Character Assassination and Reputation Politics (CARP) Research Lab. This conference welcomed numerous U.S. and international researchers and academics studying different aspects of character assassination. In addition, it  featured critical input from practitioners in crisis management, journalism, and public relations.

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Press Release

Huffington Post

ePR News

CHSS Cornerstone Alumni Magazine

Article by Mason College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Keynote Address: Eric Dezenhall, Chairman and co-founder of Dezenhall Resources

Character Assassination and Journalism

Panelists: Bob Cusack, The Hill, Hugo Gurdon, Washington Examiner, Alan Rosenblatt, Lake Research Partners, and Daniel Lippman, POLITICO

Character Assassination and the U.S. Presidential Election 

Abstracts and PowerPoint presentations

Aspriadis Neofytos, PhD Candidate on Strategic Communication, Department of International and European Studies, University of Piraeus, Greece. General Coordinator, Strategic Communication and News Media Lab (SMCLab). Abstract Presentation

Emily Blout holds a Ph.D. in History and Iranian Studies from the University of St. Andrews and an M.A. in International Security from the National Defense University. Before joining the School of Communication at American University, Blout conducted research on non-proliferation and counter-terrorism policy at the U.S. National Security Council.  She previously served as press secretary for a senior member of the U.S. Congress and as Legislative Director for a leading Middle East policy group. Blout is author of the upcoming book, Soft War: Media and Politics in Iran. @emilyblout Abstract Presentation

Leticia Bode studies political communication and political behavior, broadly construed. She is most interested by the intersection of politics, communication, and technology. Major projects right now consider the role of social media in facilitating political information acquisition, a big data analysis considering how political candidates use Twitter, several experimental analyses on audience perceptions of journalist credibility, and a project considering the processes of political socialization in the modern era. A native Texan, she received her bachelor’s degree from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, and her Masters and PhD from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Abstract Presentation

David Brandenberger is Professor of History and International Studies at University of Richmond. Brandenberger has written on Stalin-era propaganda, ideology and nationalism in journals like Russian Review, Kritika, Nationality Papers, Europe-Asia Studies, Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas and Voprosy istorii. His first book, National Bolshevism: Stalinist Mass Culture and the Formation of Modern Russian National Identity, 1931-1956 (Harvard, 2002), focuses on the USSR's reliance on russocentric mobilizational propaganda and the effect that this pragmatic use of historical heroes, imagery and iconography had on national consciousness among Russian-speakers, both during the Stalin period and after. At present, Brandenberger is preparing a critical edition of Stalin’s infamous party history textbook, The Short Course on the History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1938) for Yale University Press. Abstract

Rod Carveth is a professor and director of graduate studies in the School of Global Journalism and Communication at Morgan State University. Dr. Carveth teaches management communication, marketing communication and journalism. He is editor of three books: Media Economics: Theory and Practice; "Mad Men" and Philosophy; and "Justified" and Philosophy, as well as numerous book chapters and academic journal articles. Rod has also developed and had approved two new graduate programs at Morgan State, one in knowledge-based journalism and one in urban journalism. Abstract Presentation

Josh Compton is Assistant Professor at Dartmouth College. He is interested in how attitudes can become resistant to influence in ways similar to how our bodies become resistant to disease. Much of his work centers on inoculation theory. He helps students see how this theory, 2 and others like it, can guide our rhetorical choices and help us recognize our own responses to attempts to persuade us. Abstract Presentation

John Cook is a research assistant professor at the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University. In 2007, he founded Skeptical Science, a website which won the 2011 Australian Museum Eureka Prize for the Advancement of Climate Change Knowledge and 2016 Friend of the Planet Award from the National Center for Science Education. John co-authored the college textbooks Climate Change: Examining the Facts with Weber State University professor Daniel Bedford. He was also a coauthor of the textbook Climate Change Science: A Modern Synthesis and the book Climate Change Denial: Heads in the Sand. In 2013, he published a paper analysing the scientific consensus on climate change that has been highlighted by President Obama and UK Prime Minister David Cameron. In 2015, he developed a Massive Open Online Course at the University of Queensland on climate science denial, that has received over 25,000 enrollments. Abstract Presentation

Michael Cornfield, a political scientist, is an Associate Professor of Political Management at The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management.  He directs the Shenkman Initiative on Applying Big Data for Political Success, a three-year research and education project about data analytics, strategic communications, and democratic politics, and the PEORIA (Public Echoes Of Rhetoric in America) Project, an examination of patterns of public mentions of 2016 presidential candidates and their key words in mainstream and social media.  Recent reports and “Rhetorical Recaps” may be found here. Cornfield is the author of two books: Politics Moves Online: Campaigning and the Internet (The Century Foundation, 2004) and The Civic Web: Online Politics and Democratic Values, co-edited with David M. Anderson (Rowman & Littlefield, 2003).  He has contributed chapters to numerous academic anthologies, most recently "Twelve for 2012: Consequential Choices by the Obama and Romney Presidential Campaigns," in Campaigning for President 2012 (Routledge, 2013), and has written monthly columns for Campaigns & Elections magazine and the marketing news portal MediaPost. Abstract

Sergey G. Davydov, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Communications, Media, and Design at National Research University Higher School of Economics, Russia. From 2005 to 2011, Davydov worked as head of media research department at the GfK-Rus marketing research company. He is the author of more than 70 scientific articles on media analysis and the methodology of sociological research. Abstract Presentation

Eric B. Dezenhall is an American crisis management consultant, author, and founder of Washington D.C.-based public relations firm Dezenhall Resources. His aggressive tactics on behalf of his clients have made him both a target of criticism and a quoted pundit on crisis communications. Watch Keynote

Lea Díaz has specialized in Political Communication, EU Constitutional Law, Global Governance, Comparative Politics, International Relations. She has been a Scholar in prestigious Universities and Centers within Europe and the USA -EUI (Florence), ULB (Brussels), CRIE (Siena), MAXPLANCK (Heidelberg), LOYOLA U.(US), BERKELEY U.(US), NYU, COLUMBIA U. (US), etc. She speaks four foreign languages, apart from her native Spanish. She obtained her Accreditation under the Spanish Quality Agency for Education. Currently, Lea is devoted to the research study of Civility in Political Campaigns. Abstract Presentation

Elizaveta Egorova is a CEO of Political Profiler – a Washington D.C. based consultancy company, providing political and psychological assessments of political and business leaders, international relations and conflicts, and an expert at Niccolo M Strategic Communications Agency (Moscow, Russia), Russian pioneer public relations company assisting democratic politicians in Russia since 1989. Dr. Egorova’s sphere of expertise is in international relations, international conflicts, political leaders’ psychological profiling and their decision-making analysis, with a deep understanding of the former Soviet Union’s domestic and foreign policy-making and a long-standing interest in studying South Caucasus region. Abstract Presentation

Stephen J. Farnsworth, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs and Director of the University Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington, is the author or co-author of five books and lectures widely on the presidency, the mass media, U.S. public opinion and Virginia politics. He is a 2017 Recipient of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia's Outstanding Faculty Award and has won three-campus wide-teaching awards at Mary Washington. Abstract Presentation

Vasily Gatov is a media researcher and author based in Boston. Gatov has more than 30 years of professional experience in domestic and international media. Gatov is currently working on a book tentatively titled Life, Censored, about the re-emergence of totalitarian censorship of the Russian media. Based on a series of interviews with politicians, government officials, corporate managers, editors, journalists, lobbyists and political consultants, Gatov’s research will attempt to “define the exact logic of the ‘new censorship’ framework and expose its machinery.” Gatov’s experience includes reporting on such important events in Russia’s history as the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the 1991 failed coup’d’état, Boris Yeltsin’s presidency and the first Chechen war (1994-1997). He later served as an executive and strategist for several Russian media companies, including RenTV network, Media3, and RIA Novosti, a national multimedia news agency. Gatov founded Novosti Media Lab, the research and development company, fostering innovation in communication and the social impact of media. He is also a board member in Russian Publishers Guild (GIPP) and WAN-IFRA (world association of 4 newspapers and news publishers). Gatov’s academic research interests cover the issues of the technological effect on media development as an institution, the censorship and media effects, and media innovation. Abstract Presentation

Emina Herovic, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. She is also Assistant Clinical Professor of Risk Communication and Resilience at University of Maryland. Her research interests are risk and crisis communication and intercultural communication. Specifically, her research examines communicating science during periods of heightened risk and/or crisis, and she also focuses on crisis renewal in war-torn regions. Her work has been published in Argumentation and Advocacy, Communication Education, and Communication, Culture, and Critique. Emina has taught courses in public speaking, communication and composition, interpersonal communication, intercultural communication, and negotiation and conflict management. Emina is a recipient of the 2013-2014 Risk and Crisis Research Fellowship.  Presentation

Martijn Icks is a Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Amsterdam, specializing in the time of the Roman Empire. He obtained his PhD for The Crimes of Elagabalus, a study of one of Rome’s most notorious emperors. As a founding member of CARP, Icks is interested in character assassination as an historical, cross-cultural phenomenon. Together with Eric Shiraev, he published the edited volume Character Assassination throughout the Ages. Presentation

Tyler Johnson, Department of Political Science, the University of Oklahoma. Tyler Johnson is an Associate Professor, teaching courses in American political behavior (including mass media, campaigns and elections, and public opinion). Originally from Streamwood, Illinois, he joined the department in 2009 after receiving his BA in Political Science from Northwestern University and his PhD in Political Science from Texas A&M University. Tyler also serves as the Director of Graduate Studies and directs the Cortez A.M. Ewing Public Service Fellowship. Tyler's research agenda focuses on how information affects attitudes toward political actors and issues. Forthcoming publications discuss how Americans react to damage control strategies employed by scandalized politicians and how international policymaking cues shape individuals’ willingness to support environmental sustainability agreements. Future projects examine the role of nonprofit mismanagement on Americans’ willingness to give to charity, reactions to the role outside groups play in writing legislation, and the relationship between the modern Republican Party and CEOs running for office. Abstract Presentation

Kanwalpreet Kaur is assistant professor of political science at D.A.V. College, Chandigarh, India. She holds a Ph.D. from Panjab University, Chandigarh. In addition to teaching and research, she helps manage four educational institutes for women in India. Dr. Kaur is also a freelance journalist, having published articles in The Tribune, The Times of India, and The Hindustan Times. She has published extensively in political science journals about Punjab politics. Presentation

Colleen Elizabeth Kelley is Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Communication, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. She received her PhD in Rhetoric and Communication from the University of Oregon. Her teaching areas include public address, rhetorical and communication theory, political communication, intercultural communication and gender issues in communication. Her research interests include political communication-particularly the influence of the "religious right" on American politics, peace and communication, and ethics and communication. Abstract Presentation

Jennifer Keohane teaches courses in rhetorical criticism, business communication, and public speaking at George Mason University. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication Arts from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Her expertise lies in social movement rhetoric, labor organizing, and gender. Her current research explores how advocates for the labor movement use gendered narratives to organize workers. Dr. Keohane is also invested in using rhetorical research for civic engagement, and at UW-Madison, she served as the vice president of the Teaching Assistants’ Association, the labor union of graduate students on campus. In this role, she worked with university administrators to ensure compliance with campus labor regulations. She has also previously served on the Board of Directors for the Rhetoric Society of America.  Presentation

Martina Klicperova is a research scholar of the Institute of Psychology, the Czech Academy of Sciences; she is also affiliated with San Diego State University. Her research focuses mainly on political psychology (psychology of democracy, political culture, democratic citizenship, transition to democracy), on antisocial versus prosocial behavior/civility, and on time perspective. She acts as a principal investigator or national coordinator of funded projects focusing on democratic culture and its psychological prerequisites. Most recently she has headed research projects of the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic: Psychosocial analysis of nondemocratic character (2015-), participated in the European Commission, 6 th  Framework Programme Eurosphere: Diversity and the European Public Sphere - towards a Citizens’ Europe (2007-2013), served as a PI in the grant by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs: From totalitarian experience to democratic culture (2005-2007). Abstract Presentation

Marlene Laruelle works on Russia and Central Asia and explores post-Soviet political, social and cultural changes through the prism of nationhood and nationalism. She has published three single-authored monographs, and two co-authored monographs, and has edited several collective volumes. She is the editor in chief of Central Asian Affairs and a member of the executive editorial board of Demokratizatsiya. The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization. She has been the Principal Investigator of several grants on Russian nationalism and political elites, on Russia’s strategies in the Arctic, and on Central Asia’s domestic and foreign policies. As director of the Central Asia Program she oversees about 30 events a year, monthly publications, and works on several programs of visiting fellows from Central Asia. Abstract Presentation

Farah Latif, MA, is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Communication at George Mason University. She is an active member of the National Capital Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. Abstract Presentation

S. Robert Lichter is Professor of Communication at George Mason University, where he also directs the Center for Media and Public Affairs, which conducts scientific studies of the news and entertainment media, and the Statistical Assessment Service (STATS), which works to improve the quality of statistical and scientific information in the news. He previously taught at Princeton, Georgetown, and George Washington universities. He has also served as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Politics and Psychology at Yale University, Senior Re-search Fellow at Columbia University, and National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow at Smith College. He received his Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University and his B.A. from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Lichter has authored or co-authored fourteen books and over a hundred scholarly articles and monographs. His op-ed articles have appeared in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, and other newspapers. His most recent books are Politics Is a Joke: How Late Night Comedians Are Remaking Politics (2015) and The Global President: International News Coverage of American Politics (2013). Abstract Presentation

Olga Logunova is Associate Professor at National Research University Higher School of Economics, Russia.She is a sociologist specializing in political Communication, elections, public opinion and voting behavior, representation and electoral systems. Abstract Presentation

Allan Louden has worked on political campaigns as a consultant and is a commentator for TV and newspapers during election cycles. He recently directed the US State Department grant for the Ben Franklin Transatlantic Fellows Program. His latest book was Navigating Opportunity: Policy Debate in the 21st Century. Most often he is accompanied on campus by his “still teen” Golden Retriever Glacier. Abstract

Marta N. Lukacovic, Assistant Professor, Furman University. Dr. Lukacovic teaches courses in mass media and communication studies. Her recent research has been primarily focused on trends in political communication on digital media platforms; specifically user-generated online content in connection to security, violence, and peace journalism. Her works have appeared in scholarly journals; International Communication Research Journal and Conflict; Communication Online. She has also presented at a number of regional, national, and international conferences; including annual conferences of leading associations in the field such as NCA (National Communication Association), AEJMC (Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication), and ICA (International Communication Association). Abstract Presentation

Leelannee Malin, Howard University, Owner, Malin PR. Dr. Malin can be categorized as Skilled Communications Specialist and Educator with significant experience in creating strategic communications solutions and the implementation and coordination of programs in: Academia, Leadership/Management, Media Relations, Events Management, Public Relations, and Community Outreach. Abstract Presentation

Thomas McCloskey is pursuing his Ph.D. with an emphasis in Rhetoric and Political Culture. He received his M.A. in Communication from California State University-Long Beach in 2011 and his B.A. in Politics from Willamette University in 2005. Thomas taught English as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2006-2008. His research focuses on the rhetoric of nationalism and social movements in the former Soviet Union. He is a teaching assistant and instructor of record for COMM 107 - Oral Communication: Principles and Practices. Abstract

Maureen C. Minielli (Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University) is an Associate Professor of Communication at Kingsborough Community College, CUNY, in Brooklyn, NY. Her research area is rhetorical theory and criticism, with an emphasis on President Richard M. Nixon and presidential crisis rhetoric. Minielli has authored several articles in addition to a co-authored book, and actively participates in national and international conferences. She also serves on editorial boards of several journals. Minielli is the Immediate Past President of the Communication Association of Eurasian Researchers (CAER), and it the CAER liaison to the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA). Abstract Presentation

Haley Murphy, Department of Political Science, Oklahoma State University. She is an Assistant Professor of Political Science (PhD, University of Oklahoma 2014).  She primarily teaches public administration courses to both Political Science majors and minors and Fire and Emergency Management graduate students.  Her research focuses on collaboration between nonprofit organizations, religious organizations, and government agencies, particularly after disasters.  In addition, Dr. Murphy studies local government management and collaboration across government agencies and the nonprofit and private sectors. Her research has been published, or is forthcoming in Risks, Hazards, and Crisis in Public Policy and Nonprofit Policy Forum. Abstract Presentation

Mikhail Nemtsev taught philosophy and history in Novosibirsk and Moscow, and contributed to various journals and online magazines in Russia as author as well as editor, such as "60 parallel". He published about 30 academic articles and three books of poetry. Abstract Presentation

University of Maryland Research Team consisting of Alyson Farzad-Phillips, Nora Murphy, Claudia Serrano Rico, Kyle Stephan, Gareth Williams, Morgan Hess, Prashanth Bhat, and Lauren Hunter. Produced by The Political Advertising Resource Center for Political Communication and Civic Leadership in the Department of Communication of the College of Arts and Humanities at University of Maryland. Abstract

Athanassios N. Samaras is Assistant Professor in International and Political Communication at the International and European Department and the University of Piraeus and Director of the Strategic Communication and News Media Laboratory.  Presentation

Jens Seiffert-Brockmann is a post-doctoral researcher with the Corporate Communication Research Group in the Department of Communication at the University of Vienna. He received his doctorate in Communication Science in 2014 from the University of Leipzig, where he was a predoctoral researcher between 2009 and 2014. He also holds a Magister Artium in Communication Science and Political Science from his studies at the University of Leipzig. Jens has spent abroad study semesters at the Charles University in Prague and George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.  Abstract Presentation

Eric B. Shiraev is a professor and researcher at George Mason University. He received his PhD in political psychology from St Petersburg University, Russia, and completed a post-doctoral program at University of California, Los Angeles. He has extensive teaching and research experience at a number of distinguished universities both in the United States and abroad. Shiraev is the author, co-author, and/or co-editor of fourteen books and numerous publications in the fields of cross-cultural psychology, political psychology, and comparative studies. In addition to his teaching and scholarly pursuits, he also writes opinion essays for think-tanks, nongovernment organizations, and the media. Shiraev's research interests include: history of science, comparative history of psychology, cross-cultural psychology, historical theories of abnormal behavior, political psychology, folk beliefs, scientific foundations of spirituality, and psychology of social adjustment and immigration. Presentation

Tim Tinker is a senior executive and internationally recognized subject matter expert in risk and crisis communication with over 20 years of experience as a social, behavioral, and cognitive scientist in strategic communication research, strategy development, and consulting. He is Director of Strategic Communications at Atlas Research in Washington DC, and formerly, was with Booz Allen Hamilton and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.  Dr. Tinker has published and edited over 80 academic paper, peer-reviewed journal articles, trade publications, and book chapters. Dr. Tinker has supported numerous federal entities, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the United Nations (UN) World Health Organization (WHO). Abstract Presentation

Irina Tsukerman, Fordham University School of Law, is a Connecticut-based attorney, licensed in New York and New Jersey, specializing in national security and international law issues. In her leisure time, she is active with Young Professionals in Foreign Policy, where she is leading a discussion group focused on US-Russia relations and spearheading a policy paper. When not publishing, Irina coordinates and advises non-profit companies. Abstract

Ryan Wolfe is Director of Strategic Operations at the Wake Forest Review. He has gained valuable experience at the Delaware GOP, North Carolina GOP, and Pat Toomey for Senate Campaign.  Abstract