ABSTRACT
Scandals and mediated scandals are oftentimes used indistinctively. The reason is that mediated forms of communication are central to scandals. Tolerance for public expression and dissent, protection for investigative reporting, public access to government information, and moderate media diversity are fundamental conditions for scandals. The constant succession of scandals is the symptom of the mediatization of politics. The spread of particular characteristics of media cultures and industries, the so-called “media logic,” into politics has laid down conditions that favor scandals. A common and justifiable lament in the literature is that scandals overwhelmingly focus on flawed, high-profile personalities who defy moral expectations and/or violate laws rather than on structural forces that allow, foster, and condone transgressions. Another important aspect of scandals is the complex, multilayered dynamics brought about by the digital revolution. Scandals magnify social disparities and deep-seated political conflict and polarization rather than reinvigorate social agreements and spark consensus-building dynamics.
