Scandal
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- For other uses of this word, see Scandal (disambiguation).
A scandal involves widely publicized allegations of wrong-doing, disgrace or moral outrage. A scandal may be based on reality, or the product of false allegations.
Some scandals are broken by a whistle-blower revealing wrongdoing within an organization or a group. Falsely alleged scandals can lead to a witch-hunt against the innocent. Often, an attempt to cover-up a scandal ignites a greater scandal when the cover-up fails. Classes of scandals include:
- political scandals
- sex scandals
- academic scandals
- sporting scandals (especially Olympic Games scandals)
America in the 1950s was swept by a wave of quiz show scandals. Another major type of scandal is a corporate scandal, especially corporate accounting scandals. A wave of corporate accounting scandals swept United States companies in 2002 (see accounting scandals of 2002).