Smear campaign

[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.

Even when the facts behind a smear campaign are demonstrated to lack proper foundation, the tactic is often effective because the target's reputation is tarnished before the truth is known.

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.

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.

"[7][8] In 2011, China launched a smear campaign against Apple, including TV and radio advertisements and articles in state-run papers.

[15][16] In 2024, The New York Times reported on a smear campaign conducted against actress Blake Lively after she accused Justin Baldoni of misconduct.

In January 2025, Baldoni filed a suit Baldoni filed a suit in the federal District Court for the Southern District of New York against Blake, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and publicist Leslie Sloane, for $400 million in damages alleging civil extortion, defamation, and a slew of contract-related claims.

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.

[17][18] 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.

Multiple meetings took place between the Alp Services head Mario Brero and an Emirati official, Matar Humaid al-Neyadi.