E-catalog        

Библиогр.: 12 назв.

Academic communities are extremely fragile in the age of social media. The complex nature of
highly mediated events often impedes university public relations departments from controlling for multiple
risks. Many universities appear to have “a glass jaw” when faced with reputation crises. Multiple attacks
on academic institutions significantly impact the regional brands of their local communities. Continuous
exposure to misinformation and reputational attacks produce cognitive dissonance, uncertainty
and psychological discomfort among city and county residents, and the local authorities. At George Mason
University, the Climate Change Communication Center is a target for contrarians. Climate change
deniers attempt to discredit scholars through character attacks and promote ideas of a global warming
conspiracy. Corporate campaigns, known as science bending target science and scientific communities in
their ideological or economic attacks on research. Climate deniers rely on a common set of techniques to
dispute the science and climate change scientists including “fake” experts, fallacious arguments and and
cherry-picking scientific data. The George Mason University Character Assassination and Reputation
Politics (CARP) Research Lab was founded to examine these issues in its academic mission to facilitate
scientific research, theory and practice concerning defamation across disciplinary boundaries. This paper
discusses how the virtual research lab is helping the university to maintain its regional brand and reputation
though research, education, and risk assessment.