Understanding scandals

Actions and events that violate certain values or moral rules and that provoke a reaction if the public becomes aware of this are defined as scandals. For an incident to be described as a scandal, it must involve a violation, an element of confidentiality, public awareness beyond the direct participants, public disapproval, and damage to the reputation of those involved. When a violation is made public or alleged, the public condemns it and the reputation of those involved is damaged, a cycle of allegations, denials and investigations occurs, which keeps the public's interest alive (Thompson). In all these cases, scandals often become more important than the actual crime due to the manipulations of the media. Understanding the dynamic here is especially important for analyzing the impact of political scandals on transparency and accountability in society and the resulting change in public trust and voter behavior. 

The source of a political scandal is not just about personal mistakes but also about systemic violations of the legal process. According to the analysis made by Markovits and Silverstein on this issue, there are two competing logics: the logic of power and the logic of due process. Contrary to the privatizing, secretive, and exclusionary nature of the logic of power, the essence of the legal process is public, open, and inclusive. Political scandals emerge at the intersection of power-seeking behavior and legal process violations. The most important underlying reason for this is that scandals arise when individuals' or groups' attitudes toward power conflict with the transparency required by the legal process (Thompson). 

Political scandals have many negative effects on both the administration and the public. Actions taken against scandals may cause the public's trust to be broken and, over time, may negatively affect the d-democratic regime. According to the political scandal theory, real or fake scandals may emerge as a result of the changing balances within politics, with the cooperation of dubious politicians. In this case, it is said that as polarization between two different views increases, the possibility of a scandal will increase and the information value of the scandal will decrease (Howell). 

The first consequence of scandals is undoubtedly the breaking of public trust. Politicians' involvement in scandals and the strategies they follow to get rid of them or the way they use the media cause despair and distrust in the public over time. It also causes weakening in the legislative and executive processes because as scandals emerge, the agenda changes and is often dispersed, which causes disruptions in the general functioning. Another impact will undoubtedly be the decrease in the re-election chances of the politicians mentioned in the scandal and the loss of their reputation (Entman).

Resources:

Entman, Robert M. Scandal and Silence: Media Responses to Presidential Misconduct. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2012.

Howell, Wioletta Dziuda and William G. “Political Scandal: A Theory.” American Journal of Political Science 65 (2001): 197-209.

Thompson, John B. Political Scandal: Power and Visibility In The Media Age. Polity Press, 2000.