Why Smearing Works: Autocrats’ Use of Negative Media Narratives to Deter Support for Social Protests

• In Event: JSS 1
  In JSS Session: Authoritarian Politics

Brief Overview

This project argues that autocrats' smearing strategies deter public support for social protests. Such strategies work because they either increase fear of repression among citizens or decrease empathy towards protesters.

Authors

• Mai Thanh Truong, School of Government and Public Policy, University of Arizona

• Minh Duc Trinh, Massachusetts Institute of Technology