Political scandals have become a pervasive feature of manysocieties today. From Profumo to the cash-for-questions scandal,from Watergate to the Clinton-Lewinsky affair, scandals have cometo play a central role in politics and in the shaping of publicdebate. What are the characteristics of political scandals and whyhave they come to assume such prominence today? What are the socialand political consequences of the preoccupation with politicalscandal in the public domain?
In this major new book Thompson develops a systematic andwide-ranging analysis of the phenomenon of political scandal. Heshows that the rise of political scandal is linked to the changesbrought about by the development of communication media, which havetransformed the nature of visibility and altered the relationsbetween public and private life. He analyses the characteristics ofscandals as mediated events and he explains why mediated scandalsin the political field have become increasingly prevalent in recentyears.
Distinguishing between three basic types of political scandal,Thompson reconstructs the development of sex scandals, financialscandals and what he calls 'power scandals' in Britain and theUnited States, showing how scandals unfold and how they form partof distinctive political cultures of scandal. In the final chapter,Thompson develops an original theoretical account of politicalscandal and its consequences which highlights the connectionsbetween scandal, reputation and trust.
This book is a path-breaking analysis of a troubling phenomenonwhich has become a central feature of public life in our societiestoday. It will be of great interest to students of sociology,politics, and media and cultural studies. It will also appeal to awider readership interested in social and political issues.