smear campaigns
Organized character assassination
Smear campaigns are coordinated efforts to damage someone's reputation through spreading negative information—true, exaggerated, or fabricated.
The term implies systematic attacks rather than isolated criticism, often in political contexts: The candidate accused opponents of running a smear campaign against her.
Smear suggests the information sticks and spreads like something viscous and unpleasant.
- mudslingingMalicious personal attacks
- slanderSpoken false defamation
- defamationFalse statements harming reputation
- disinformationIntentional deceptive falsehoods
- character assassinationDestroying someone's good name
hit piece · yellow journalism · calumny · vilification · hatchet job · swift boat · propaganda · poison pen · false accusations · rumor mill · libel · disparage · negative campaigning · astroturfing · scare stories · media manipulation · trial by media · personal attacks
- intimidationthreats, threatening, menacing, intimidate, bullying
- defamationslander, libel, defamation, defamatory statement, defaming
- political tacticscampaigning, gerrymandering, filibuster, campaigns, voter suppression
- propagandapropaganda, brainwashing, disinformation, misinformation, indoctrination
- vilificationvilification, vilifying, demonizing, demonisation, demonize
- cyberbullyingcyberbullying, online harassment, targeted harassment, doxxing, threats
smear campaignspromotional campaigns
Organized efforts to publicize
public relations · vindication · exoneration · tributes · advocacy campaigns
campaign, smear, smeared, campaigner, smears, smearing, besmeared