Political scandal : power and visibility in the media age / John B. Thompson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Thompson, John B. (John Brookshire)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Scandals in mass media.

Mass media--Political aspects.

Mass media.

Physical Description:

xiii, 324 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, UK : Polity ; Oxford ; Malden, MA : In association with Blackwell Publishers, 2000.

Summary:

From Profumo to the cash-for-questions seandal, from Watergate to the Clinton -- Lewinsky affair, scandals have become a central feature of modern political life. What are the characteristies of political scandals and why have they come to assume such prominence today? What are the social and political consequences of the preoccupation with political scandal in the public domain?

In this major new book Thompson develops a systematic and wideranging analysis of the phenomenon of political scandal. He shows that the rise of political scandal is linked to the changes brought about by the development of communication media, which have transformed the nature of visibility and altered the relations between public and private life. He analyses the characteristics of scandals as mediated events and he explains why mediated scandals in the political field have become inereasingly prevalent in recent years.

Distinguishing between three basic types of political scandal, Thompson reconstructs the development of sex scandals, financial scandals and what he calls 'power scandals' in Britain and the United States, showing how scandals unfold and how they form part of distinctive political cultures of scandal. He concludes by developing an original theoretical account of political scandal and its consequences, highlighting the connections between scandal, reputation and trust.

This book is a path-breaking analysis of a widespread and deeply troubling phenomenon. It will be essential reading for students of sociology, politics and media and cultural studies and will appeal to a wider readership interested in social and political issues.

Contents:

1 What is Scandal? 11

The Concept of Scandal 11

Gossip, Rumour and Scandal 25

Corruption, Bribery and Scandal 28

2 The Rise of Mediated Scandal 31

The Transformation of Visibility 33

Early Uses of 'Scandal' in the Media 41

The Emergence of Scandal as a Mediated Event 50

3 Scandal as a Mediated Event 60

Some Characteristics of Mediated Scandals 61

The Sequential Structure of Mediated Scandals 72

Agents and Organizations 77

Experiencing Scandal as a Mediated Event 85

4 The Nature of Political Scandal 90

Defining Political Scandal 91

Symbolic Power and the Political Field 96

Why is Political Scandal More Prevalent Today? 106

Political Cultures of Scandal 116

5 Sex Scandals in the Political Field 119

Three Types of Political Scandal 120

Private Life in the Public Domain 124

A Venerable Tradition 129

Changing Times 143

6 Financial Scandals in the Political Field 159

The Interlacing of Money and Power 160

Private Interests and Public Duties 162

Politics and Corporate Power 176

The Whitewater Imbroglio 189

7 Power Scandals 196

The Unveiling of Hidden Powers 197

Watergate and the Iran-Contra Affair 200

The Rise of Security Scandals 218

Blurred Boundaries 228

8 The Consequences of Scandal 233

Four Theories of Scandal and its Consequences 234

Power, Reputation and Trust: Towards a Social Theory of Scandal 245.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [272]-307) and index.

ISBN:

0745625495

0745625509

OCLC:

43790343