Political scandal is a phenomenon that is characterized by allegations of immoral or illegal behavior involving public officials. In modern societies, the majority of scandals are uncovered by investigative journalism, which relies on documents, interviews, and data analysis to expose unethical behavior. Scandal research has emphasized the functional value of scandals by suggesting that they serve as a mechanism to hold politicians accountable for their actions and encourage reform.
However, scandals also engender public cynicism and reduce voters’ trust in government. Moreover, political scandals are often used as ideological cudgels by the media to attack opponents and taint their reputation. Scandal scholars have also highlighted that the way a scandal is framed and mediated can have significant effects on its consequences.
Despite these lessons, the current era of political polarization presents new challenges for research on scandals. The greater the partisan gap between two parties, the more likely it is that one party will accuse the other of scandalous behavior and vehemently deny any accusations. This partisanization of scandals undermines the function of scandals by convincing voters that parties are not acting to weed out bad behavior but are simply using the tactics of politics as usual for their narrow political interests.
Furthermore, recent controversies surrounding the MeToo movement have reminded us that how norm violations are interpreted and framed as scandalous is highly contextual and contested. Therefore, the current body of scandal literature needs to explore more fully the many ways that power shapes what is deemed as scandalous and how news coverage and societal reactions impact the consequences of political scandals.
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