This article examines rhetorical strategies as well as the linguistic construction of those strategies in press releases put out by Cadbury Malaysia in response to accusations that it has failed to comply with halal certification standards. Drawing on image repair theory and the concept of the ideological square, six press releases were analysed to identify the rhetorical strategies as well as semantic structures that were used to repair the organization’s image and minimize reputational risk. The analysis reveals how the organization moved beyond denial to also employ the rhetorical strategies of attacking one’s accuser and bolstering. Despite early media reports naming government agencies as the accusers, the press releases put out by Cadbury Malaysia determined the source of accusations as unnamed individuals within the agencies, thereby avoiding confrontations with the relevant authorities. The analysis shows how language is used in press releases to construct the positive self and negative other as Cadbury Malaysia promoted a discourse of renewal to reassert its position within a highly lucrative halal market. This article provides novel insights into understanding how language works within rhetorical strategies of image repair.

中文翻译：

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通过图像修复策略降低声誉风险

本文考察了吉百利马来西亚公司因不遵守清真认证标准而提出的新闻稿中的修辞策略以及这些策略的语言结构。利用图像修复理论和思想广场的概念，对六个新闻稿进行了分析，以确定用于修复组织图像并最大程度降低声誉风险的修辞策略和语义结构。分析揭示了该组织如何超越否认而也采用攻击原告和支持的修辞策略。尽管有早期媒体报道称政府机构为控告人，但马来西亚吉百利公司发布的新闻稿仍将指控的来源确定为机构内未具名的个人，从而避免与有关当局的对抗。分析表明，随着马来西亚吉百利（Cadbury Malaysia）推广更新的话语，以在高利润的清真市场中重申自己的地位，新闻稿中如何使用语言来建构积极的自我和消极的他人。本文提供了新颖的见解，可以帮助您理解语言在图像修复的修辞策略中如何工作。