Obama fights the smears

by Kimberly Maul, PR Week USA 13-Jun-08, 11:11

The Barack Obama campaign launched FightTheSmears.com, in an effort to combat rumors about the presidential candidate and his family.

After rumors surfaced that there is a video of Obama's wife, Michelle, using the term "whitey," the presidential nominee wanted to create a way to defunct those rumors.

In an age where the Internet allows information - and rumors - to swirl endlessly and quickly, some say, the anti-smear Web site is a new must-have tool. Staffed by "fact-checkers," the site encourages supporters to participate by doing their own rumor surveillance for the campaign.

"We will not allow Michelle - or, for that matter, Barack - to be defined by rumors," Obama adviser Anita Dunn told Time magazine.

Meanwhile, Fox News apologized for a reference to Michelle Obama as a "baby mama" during a newscast.