In some cases, because of news feeds and the proliferation of sites that rely on them, there could be multiple copies of the same story ranking for these searches. An individual or business could have the search for their trademarks and personal names dominated by these news items.
But you can defend your reputation using the same means that might destroy it. Marketing professionals directly experience the negative impact of such questionable publicity, and seek relief via SEO.
The strategy used for cleaning up bad press in the search is forcing good press to rank higher. Removing damaging content from the search results requires using SEO skills to have better content outrank the existing harmful content.
Here's an excellent article that specifically addresses how SEO can be used to protect your interests: recourse via seo. The same principles apply to reputation management.
In the instance where competing messages are intentionally publicized via the search, the obvious winner will be the one who can deploy more robust SEO skills. It's that simple.
Whether it's putting up web pages that sell products, or publish information, the involvement of SEO as an integral component of public messaging has become obvious. Paying attention to one's position in the search is now a critical factor in how your presence within the internet community is measured.
Improving your web presence - your internet image - either by intentionally directing the message, or by overcoming bad press can be a critical component of doing business online. Always act to defend your reputation - you can succeed using the same optimization strategies used to sell products.