When Stars Collide: A Hollywood Disinformation Story
A public relations firm allegedly did more than promote the recent Netflix movie, ‘It Ends With Us,’ and its male costar and director Justin Baldoni (left). A filing claims the firm ran a campaign to harm the reputation of actress Blake Lively (right), who alleges harassment on the set during filming.
Psychology Today
When does a public relations campaign become something more insidious? When and how does PR slide into propaganda and disinformation?
In Hollywood, PR campaigns are the norm. Public relations are used to promote movies, shows, and stars. A recent campaign, however, seemed to be something more than simply promoting a movie or a star. Instead, this campaign was designed to ruin the reputation of a star, Blake Lively.
A Disinformation Smear Campaign
You can read a description on a legal filing complete with some text messages about the nature and goals of the campaign in this New York Times story by Megan Twohey, Mike McIntire, and Julie Tate. Here’s a simple description. Ms. Lively had concerns about sexual harassment from the director and costar of her recent film. During filming, she received additional safeguards and a commitment from the studio that they would not retaliate.
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