CARP Webinars
Conversations with leading scholars and practitioners about misinformation, media, reputation, and character assassination.
Fake News, Real Money: How the Adtech Industry Monetizes Misinformation
“Normal accidents” in the digital ecosystem let bad actors profit from fake news, amplify junk information, and erode local journalism.
The Delusion of Power: A Critical Media Literacy Education
What critical media literacy really is, how it differs from conventional approaches, and what thoughtful media consumers should watch for empathy first.
The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Reputation
A “tsunami of information” has stripped institutions of assumed authority. Why the public is receptive to character attacks, and how old-fashioned virtues can protect reputation.
The Power (and Pain) of Silence
Ostracism’s evolutionary roots, lab methods like Cyberball, why its sting is universal, and what helps some people recover faster than others.
Political Communications 101
From campaign war rooms to debate prep, why some character attacks work and others fail, and why Olympic curling is the perfect metaphor for political comms.
Psychological Profiling of Political Leaders
How professional profilers build psychological portraits of leaders and how those portraits shape campaign strategy and foreign policy.
Political Humor, Caricature and Saturday Night Live
What made Baldwin’s Trump, Fey’s Palin, and David’s Sanders so potent and what character-assassination researchers can learn from SNL.
Fallen Idols: Toppling Statues Throughout the Ages
From pharaohs to presidents, statues have always been contested. A historical perspective on damnatio memoriae and reputational destruction.
Character Assassination in Political Campaigns
Comparing tactics across countries and assessing the long-term impact of Donald Trump’s political style.
Villains or Minions? Dilemmas in Character Assassination
Public characters—heroes, villains, and minions and how societal change emerges from their clashes.
Clickbait Journalism & Public Character
Crisis communication, defamation, and conflict management and how these dynamics show up in fiction.