Media Scandals and Social Accountability

ENRIQUE PERUZZOTTI

Enforcing the Rule of Law

Pittsburgh University Press

Lugar: Pittsburgh; Año: 2006; p. 249 - 271

The public life of many democracies, old and new, is being shattered by the recurrent breakup of media scandals.  From the United States to Australia, from France to Colombia, the behavior of presidents, members of cabinet, legislators and high ranking public officials have been the object of intense public scrutiny as the result of the uncovering of questionable acts by the media.  The prominence that political scandals are gaining in contemporary democracies has generated an important debate about the role and consequences of media scandals on politics. The aim of this article is to contribute to that ongoing debate by analyzing the link between media scandals and accountability.  The analysis will be guided by a central concern:  that of determining the contribution of political scandals to the establishment of more accountable democratic governments in societies like the Latin American ones, where mechanisms for controlling government have been traditionally weak. Through the analysis of a recent scandal that has shattered Argentine political life, the article will evaluate the role of the media as an informal watchdog of democratic government.