CARP 2019: Character Assassination and Populism: Challenges and Responses

communication.gmu.edu/research-and-centers/carp/2019-conference

Excerpt:

Fairfax, VA – George Mason University’s Character Assassination and Reputation Politics (CARP) Research Lab hosts its second international conference “Character Assassination and Populism: Challenges and Responses” on March 15-17, 2019.

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.

The keynote address and official sessions take place at 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, 2019 and Sunday, March 17, 2019 in Founder’s Hall at Mason’s Arlington, Virginia Campus (3351 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22201).

Background:

The CARP Research Lab includes scholars with disciplinary homes in psychology, history, communication and public relations. With investigators from both George Mason University and the University of Amsterdam, the CARP team focuses efforts along three main dimensions: research on historical and contemporary examples of character assassination; education for academic and public audiences about character assassination causes, impacts and prevention; and risk assessment to determine vulnerabilities and mitigation strategies for public figures concerned about their reputations.

Please remember to dress business professionally.

 Register here. 

Schedule ...

Saturday, March 16

4:00 - 5:15 p.m.

Panel Five:

Strategic Communication Campaigns in the Age of Social Media.

Nancy Snow (Kyoto U of Foreign Studies, Japan), Professor Emeritus California State U, Fullerton; Pax Mundi Professor of Public Diplomacy [JB emphasis] ...