Political Scandal: Power and Visability in the Media AgeISBN: 978-0-7456-2549-2
Hardcover
336 pages
December 2000, Polity
This is a Print-on-Demand title. It will be printed specifically to fill your order. Please allow an additional 10-15 days delivery time. The book is not returnable.
Other Available Formats: Paperback
|
In this major new book Thompson develops a systematic and
wide-ranging 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 increasingly 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. In the final chapter,
Thompson develops an original theoretical account of political
scandal and its consequences which highlights the connections
between scandal, reputation and trust.
This book is a path-breaking analysis of a troubling phenomenon which has become a central feature of public life in our societies today. It will be of great interest to students of sociology, politics, and media and cultural studies. It will also appeal to a wider readership interested in social and political issues.