From the Watergate break-in to the Panama Papers, scandals expose unethical behavior and corruption in government. These incidents shake public trust in politicians, and can have lasting impacts on the political landscape. They can also lead to legal repercussions for those involved, including imprisonment and resignation. The media plays a critical role in exposing such events, and its coverage can prompt reforms aimed at improving transparency and accountability in politics.
But how does this work in practice? This article uses a new data set to study how scandals are produced and reported, and how they impact the broader political landscape. It shows that media sensationalism is not the only driver, and that partisanship can have just as much of an effect on how political scandals unfold.
This work has important implications for those who study how to improve democratic governance. The research finds that while scandals are bad proxies for misbehavior, they may be even worse if they are fueled by polarization. When political parties are highly polarized, they have strong incentives to hide evidence of misconduct and make false accusations against opponents. This distorts the nature of political scandal, and confuses voters about who is to blame for misconduct.
Political scandals should serve as warnings of dangerous trends that threaten the integrity of our democracy. Harmful Supreme Court decisions, erosion of norms, and growing brazenness among public officials have created a moment where rising political corruption is raising questions about the legitimacy of our institutions and our elected leaders’ motives. The public and Congress must act quickly to curb the damage and push for fundamental reforms to return power to the people.
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