Scandalogy 5 Scandals in Times of Crises, Conflicts and Conspiracies

In recent years, political scandals involving nepotism, sexual harassment, coercion, and abuses of power have captured global attention. This book sheds light on this phenomenon, highlighting the transformations in media and journalism in the digital age and broader socio-political trends.

Amidst global crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, scandals increase rapidly as institutions struggle under pressure, leading to moral and legal transgressions. These scandals drive public conflict along ideological lines and serve as strategic tools in political battles, reinforced by partisan media.

The book explores how scandals contribute to the spread of conspiracy theories, feeding public skepticism towards institutions. Based on recent research by international experts, it comprehensively analyzes the interplay between crises, conflicts, conspiracy narratives, and scandalization in modern society, presenting their impact on political and social dynamics.

Chapter 1. Scandals in Times of Crises, Conflicts, and Conspiracies: An Introduction.- Chapter 2. From Amplification to Infrastructural Shifts: The Transformative Power of Conspiracy Theories, Scandals, and Digital Platforms.- Chapter 3. The Role of the Trickster in Scandal.- Chapter 4. How Politics Survives Constant Emotionalization, Continuing Scandalization, and Permanent Crisis.- Chapter 5. The Utility of Conspiracy Theories in Crises: Choosing a New Reality.- Chapter 6. Media, Scandalization and Mass Hysteria in the Coca-cola Poisoning Scare in Croatia.- Chapter 7. Two Men, One Fire, a Book, a Scandal, and a Conspiracy: The Case of Lucan.- Chapter 8. Testing the Three-level-analytical Model for Studying Mediated Scandals on a Film Adaptation of a Historical Conspiracy Theory.- Chapter 9. Aging as a Target for Scandal: Examining Character Attacks on Elderly Leaders.- Chapter 10. Scandal as Ritual: The Case of Japan.- Chapter 11. The Lava Jato Scandal: Visual Framing of a Brazilian Political Crisis.- Chapter 12. Images of Nations and Reputational Security Threats: Media Framing of the "Qatargate" European Scandal in the Francophone Press.- Chapter 13. Unraveling the Scandal by Apologizing and Listening to the Victims: Pope Francis' Iquique Incident in Chile.- Chapter 14. Pop Politics and Pop Religion: The Rise of “authentic” Political and Religious Celebrities.

Hendrik Michael was a Research Assistant at the Institute of Communication Studies at the University of Bamberg, Germany. He holds a PhD from the University of Bamberg. Apart from journalism history, his research focuses on political journalism, scandals, and mass media, and the evolution of media genres. Since 2016 he hosts the International Conferences on Scandalogy in Bamberg.

André Haller is a former Professor of Marketing, Communication Management, and Digital Marketing at the FH Kufstein Tirol, Austria. His academic career has taken him to the University of Bamberg, Germany, the Universidad CEU San Pablo in Madrid, Spain, the Linné University Kalmar, Sweden, and other places where he has been involved in research and teaching. From 2019 to 2023 he has been Vice-Chair of the Political Communication Research Section of the IAMCR. His research focuses on strategic and political communication, the digitization of campaigns, and crisis and scandal communication. Since 2016, he has been co-organizing the International Conferences in Scandalogy, where researchers from around the world meet to discuss current research findings.