A political scandal has the potential to shake a nation’s confidence in government. Greed, lust, or obsession for power are among the common factors that turn private actions into public scandal. Often the scandals are framed by the media as a result of news headlines and images that may elicit criticism or other reactions. News coverage is a vital element of scandal production, and the media often plays a role in swaying what is reported as a scandal through its editorial choice of the information it chooses to present.

However, there is a large gap in understanding what causes the formation of political scandals. Political science research to date suggests that the decision of what is a scandal depends on a variety of contextual factors, and the interpretation of norm transgressions differs across individuals and over time. The scandals that generate the most attention in the media are viewed as more serious than others, even when the latter have been more clearly documented.

Moreover, research suggests that political scandals can have positive or negative spillover effects on citizens’ evaluation of the politicians involved in them, depending on how they are presented by the news media. In addition, polarization can play a role in the production of political scandal by fueling incentives for the aligned party to protect its politician from accusations of misbehavior and the opposing party to suppress or amplify false accusations in order to skew the media’s coverage.