Scandalogy 5: Scandals in Times of Crises, Conflicts and Conspiracies

Hendrik Michael, André Haller

Springer Nature, Nov 7, 2025 - Political Science - 255 pages

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.

Contents

• An Introduction: 1
• The Transformative Power of Conspiracy Theories Scandals and Digital Platforms: 10
• The Role of the Trickster in Scandal: 29
• How Politics Survives Constant Emotionalization Continuing Scandalization and Permanent Crisis: 41
• Choosing a New Reality: 65
• Media Scandalization and Mass Hysteria in the CocaCola Poisoning Scare in Croatia: 81
• The Case of Lucan: 100
• Testing the ThreeLevelAnalytical Model for Studying Mediated Scandals on a Film Adaptation of a Historical Conspiracy Theory: 117
• Examining Character Attacks on Elderly Leaders: 133
• The Case of Japan: 148
• Visual Framing of a Brazilian Political Crisis: 171
• Media Framing of the Qatargate European Scandal in the Francophone Press: 187
• Pope Francis Iquique Incident in Chile: 209
• The Rise of Authentic Political and Religious Celebrities: 233

About the author

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.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Scandalogy 5: Scandals in Times of Crises, Conflicts and Conspiracies; Political Science and International Studies; Political Science and International Studies (R0)
• Editors: Hendrik Michael, André Haller
• Publisher: Springer Nature, 2025
• ISBN: 3032016932, 9783032016935
• Length: 255 pages
• Subjects: Language Arts & Disciplines / Journalism; Political Science / Comparative Politics; Political Science / General; Political Science / International Relations / General; Social Science / Media Studies