{{Short description|Method of persuasion}} {{refimprove|date=August 2011}} A '''whispering campaign''' or '''whisper campaign''' is a method of [[persuasion]] in which damaging [[rumor]]s or [[innuendo]] are spread about the target, often in an attempt to create a [[scandal]] or other desired outcome, while the source of the rumors seeks to avoid being detected while they are spread. For example, a [[political campaign]] might distribute [[Grey propaganda|anonymous]] flyers attacking the other candidate. The tactic is generally considered [[ethics|unethical]]{{By whom|date=April 2023}} in [[open society|open societies]], particularly in matters of [[public policy]]. The speed and the anonymity of communication made possible by modern technologies like the [[Internet]] have increased public awareness of whisper campaigns and their ability to succeed. The phenomenon has also led to the failure of whisper campaigns, as those seeking to prevent them can publicize their existence much more readily than in the past. Whisper campaigns are defended in some circles as an efficient mechanism for [[underdog (competition)|underdog]]s who lack other resources to [[whistleblower|disclose]] wrongdoings of the powerful without repercussions.
==Marketing== Other tactics include "buying" drinks and giving away cigarettes to patrons without making known that the benefactor is a representative of the company. More recently, companies are also paying bloggers to mention products or causes. As a form of [[astroturfing]], companies hire employees to post comments on blogs, forums, online encyclopedias such as ([[conflict-of-interest editing on Wikipedia|on Wikipedia]]), etc. to steer online conversations in their desired direction.
==Politics== Whisper campaigns in the [[United States]] began with the conflict between [[John Adams]] and [[Thomas Jefferson]] as both were vying for the [[1800 United States presidential election|1800 presidential election]]. The [[Federalist Party|Federalists]], which supported Adams, accused Jefferson of having robbed a widow and her children of a [[trust fund]] and of having fathered numerous [[mulatto]] children by his own [[female slavery|slave women]].
Whisper campaigns are frequently used in [[electoral politics]] as a method of shaping the discussion without being seen to do so. [[US President]] [[Grover Cleveland]] was the target of a whisper campaign in 1884, when [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] claimed that he had fathered an illegitimate child while he was still [[Governor of New York]]. US President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] was frequently a topic of whisper campaigns resulting from his support of the [[New Deal]] and his poor health.
During the [[Republican Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2000|2000 Republican presidential primary]], Senator [[John McCain]], whose adopted daughter is a dark-skinned child from [[Bangladesh]], was the target of a whisper campaign, which implied that he had fathered a [[black people|black child]] out of wedlock. Voters in [[South Carolina]] were reportedly asked in a [[push poll]], "Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for John McCain if you knew that he fathered an illegitimate black child?".<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thenation.com/article/dirty-tricks-south-carolina-and-john-mccain/|title=Dirty Tricks, South Carolina and John McCain|newspaper=The Nation|issn=0027-8378|access-date=2016-05-10}}</ref> In addition, on the week of the nomination vote, dozens of radio stations were inundated with calls on this topic, and [[talk show]] hosts were asked what they thought of McCain's fathering of a black child out of wedlock.
In 2018, when the question of what the United States should do about the [[disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi]] was an open question, a whispering campaign was mounted that attacked the character of Khashoggi.<ref name="WP101818">{{cite news |author1=Robert Costa |author2=Karoun Demirjian |title=Conservatives mount a whisper campaign smearing Khashoggi in defense of Trump |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/conservatives-mount-a-whisper-campaign-smearing-khashoggi-in-defense-of-trump/2018/10/18/feb92bd0-d306-11e8-b2d2-f397227b43f0_story.html |access-date=October 19, 2018 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 18, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Forward101918">{{cite news |author1=Ron Kampeas |title=Pro-Israel Voices Join Smear Campaign Against Jamal Khashoggi |url=https://forward.com/news/breaking-news/412347/pro-israel-voices-join-smear-campaign-against-jamal-khashoggi/ |access-date=October 20, 2018 |work=The Forward |date=October 19, 2018}}</ref>
==See also== {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * [[Black propaganda]] * [[Call-out culture]] * [[Chinese whispers]] * [[Defamation]] * [[Fraser Committee]] * [[Fear, uncertainty, and doubt]] * [[Gang stalking]] * [[Smear campaign]] * [[Swiftboating]] * [[Whisper network]] {{div col end}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{wiktionary}} *[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dirty-tricks-patrician-style/ "Dirty Tricks, Patrician Style"] by [[Dick Meyer]]
[[Category:Communication of falsehoods]] [[Category:Political campaign techniques]]