ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a model of politicized scandal in authoritarian media systems. It aims to understand how both controlled and free media can become weaponized against domestic and foreign targets. The chapter shows how authoritarian regimes have adapted to changing media tastes and formats, particularly in the way in which Russian-style kompromat is moulded into an alluring form of infotainment and pseudo-facts that serve as highly effective weapons against political opponents. It discusses how the authoritarian use of political scandal parallels aspects of the use of scandal by leaders in democratic systems, particularly by President Donald Trump and his Republican supporters. Authoritarian states manufacture and amplify scandal as an effective political weapon in the twenty-first century. In considering the role of scandal in authoritarian regimes, it is important to reflect on the role of the media in non-free states. The coverage of scandal is – and should be – an important part of the democratic function of the mass media.
