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FORTUNE — When the New York Timesclaimed incorrectly last year that General Electric (GE) paid zero federal taxes in 2010 on worldwide profits of $14.2 billion, the company’s reputation took a steep and prolonged hit, as measured by YouGov’s BrandIndex Reputation score.
Not so Apple (AAPL).
When the same paper ran a front-page story last week detailing — again incorrectly, according to Forbes — the lengths to which Apple has gone to avoid paying taxes, the company’s consumer reputation barely budged.
In fact, based on responses to the question “Would you be proud or embarrassed to work for this brand?” Apple’s reputation score actually went up modestly a few days after the Times story broke, according to a YouGov report issued Tuesday.
The market research firm concluded that Apple’s public reputation is “virtually Teflon” — at least in terms of tax avoidance.
