Often, political scandals reveal unethical or illegal conduct by government officials. These events can lead to resignations and investigations, and can severely impact public perception of politics. In the long term, they can reshape debates about ethics in politics and prompt reforms aimed at improving transparency and accountability.
Scandals are often the result of a combination of factors including personal traits, leadership styles, and underlying governance structures. The authors propose that in addition to these influencing forces, the media has a significant role in shaping how political leaders are perceived and what the consequences of their actions might be. Specifically, the authors propose that media polarization creates incentives for the aligned party to suppress any misconduct by their politicians and the opposing party to make baseless accusations even if these allegations are not credible.
This Special Issue consists of 10 articles that offer insights about the causes, consequences, and mechanisms of political scandal, drawing on international research in the fields of sociology, communication science, and political science. The papers explore the effects of scandals in a variety of countries with different political systems and media traditions, examining how the effects differ across these contexts.
The resulting articles highlight the need for further research on the complex processes of scandalization and its implications for democracy. They also point to the need for cross-disciplinary collaborations in order to develop a more holistic understanding of the phenomenon. In this regard, the authors suggest the creation of a network for scholars around the world who wish to advance the field of political scandal studies.