Defending the Scumbags-Reputation Managers

Consumers rant and rave websites like Pissed Consumer and the Ripoff Report are multiplying like rabbits. Consumers, customers, clients and patients can release themselves by sounding off about their doctor, lawyer, handyman or just about any business they feel rightfully or not have wronged them.
Anyone can create a negative post calling a company or professional they might have done business with a scumbag and get away with it since they can post anonymously. (Most of the time)
The target of the rant in many instances is defenseless not knowing who their accusers. Yet, a negative post can cause them a great deal of harm in lost credibility, sales and revenue.
The "watchdog" websites that are created for angry consumers to vent do not care whether the claims being made are true or not.
In fact one of the largest of such sites Ripoff Report actually has a link on their website titled "Want to sue Ripoff Report" taunting anyone wrongfully accused on the Ripoff Report. If you follow that link it explains that they are protected from lawsuits and are not responsible for negative posts created by users of their website. They further explain that they do not take sides not knowing who may or may not be telling the truth. They just enable the accuser.
They further explain if you feel you have been liabled you can sue the poster and not them but they will never remove the negative post from their website even if you win your liable suit. In a court of law we all have the constitutional right to face our accusers but in the cyber world accusers are able to hide behind anonymity.
Reputation management companies are charged with defending the "scumbags" who in many instances are honest hard working businessmen that became someone's target. In many cases a bully who found a bully pulpit to cowardly exact a perceived revenge.
The business or the professional that is the target can't appeal to an anonymous poster, they can't appeal to the website publisher so the only place they can turn to are reputation managers to try to undo the damage that has been done to them with a negative post.
Most reputation managers take the same position as websites like the Ripoff report. They don't take sides, they don't judge their clients they just try to defend them by creating enough positive buzz so that a negative post starts to lose its bite and return their client's reputation to a point in time prior the accusation being made.
Richard Friedman, Sr. Reputation Advocate,  http://www.negativepost.com