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Director of ReputationDefender EMEA Tony McChrystal is adept in online reputation management, crisis management and public relations. This article will look at online defamation, exploring the various channels open to businesses and people who experience the misfortune of finding themselves the victim of an online smear campaign.
Defamation is a term that describes a false statement made to cause damage to the reputation of an organisation or person. When defamation occurs via the internet, it is referred to as online defamation.
While filing a defamation suit is a sensible strategy in some situations, for those who find themselves the target of online defamation, there are other avenues open to them. In addition, although judgment in the claimant’s favour may provide them with legal respite and potentially lead to an award of damages in their favour, this will not necessarily prevent the defamatory content continuing to spread across the internet.
When deciding whether to pursue a claim in the courts, it is important for the victim to weigh up several factors. Chief amongst them are the strength of their reputation before the attack, since a well-established online reputation can serve as a powerful buffer against defamation. They also need to consider how much money and time they have available to devote to the case.
In addition to legal action, there are several other available options. The victim may choose to simply ignore it, with the hope of avoiding drawing even more attention to the negative statement. Alternatively, they may opt to respond, publicly replying to their defamer via the same platform where the defamatory content was published, with the aim of defending their good name and preventing the future spread of false information.
A commonly overlooked approach is reaching out to the site or platform owner and asking them to delete the defamatory content. This tactic can be extremely effective for those who have experienced significant, measurable reputational damage from false online remarks. In the case of many websites and social media platforms, the content may infringe Terms of Service or Community Standards, making it easier to get deleted. Tony McChrystal takes a proactive approach to online reputation management, helping private clients and multinational organisations to take control of their online reputations and potentially enabling them to avoid scenarios like this arising in the first place.
